Hateful Love: a Draco Malfoy Love Story
by yum-ichigo14
Summary: Cassie Jackson is in her sixth year of Hogwarts, and is proud to be a Ravenclaw. Plus, she's in the same year as the famous Harry Potter. But a Slytherin named Draco Malfoy keeps crossing paths with her, and the two slowly become closer than ever before.
1. Chapter 1

The steam from the train wafts up above the crowds, families waving to all their children as they depart for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

I stick my head out the door as the train slowly begins to make its way out the exit, waving to my parents.

My dad's a short, balding man, so he doesn't really stand out in a crowd. That's funny, see, my mom's the complete opposite. She's tall and tan, and has wavy brown hair that other women would kill for. Well, I think to myself, Opposites attract.

I force myself to keep waving until we round the corner, then I sigh with relief. Goodbyes are always messy with my family.

My friend Katherine tugs on my sleeve, smirking up at me. I inherited my mother's height, so I tower above most people. "Come on," she says to me, "Let's go find everyone else before all the seats are taken."

I roll my eyes and follow her. Katherine's in Ravenclaw with me, and we're both starting our sixth year. We met at Platform 9 ¾ our first year of Hogwarts. It makes me smile when I think about it; we were so awkward around each other then. Now, we're practically sisters.

Katherine pulls open the compartment door when she spots the rest of our friends in Ravenclaw. I raise an eyebrow with annoyance when I see that the compartment is completely full.

"Thanks for saving us a seat guys," I call over Matt and Danny's bickering about a chocolate frog. Pretending to be pissed, I add, "It's nice to know I have such great friends."

Katherine sticks her tongue out at Cho, who giggles, "Sorryyy, not our fault you took forever to get here."

I open my mouth to hurl back some sort of insult, but I stop myself. No one could be mean to Cho Chang. Not after what had happened two years ago.

Instead, I scoff at Danny, who keeps telling me I can come sit on his lap. Katherine shuts the door, harder than usual, after which we hear muffled laughter.

I roll my eyes again and turn to Katherine, saying, "Great. Where-"

"Is everything alright, Miss. Jackson?"

I cross my arms upon realizing it's Professor McGonagall. She appears not to have noticed Katherine, and looks only at me through her spectacles.

"We don't have anywhere to sit. Everywhere else is full," I explain to her, glancing at Katherine and trying not to laugh at her expression. She's pissed McGonagall's oblivious to her presence.

"Well, I highly doubt that," she replies briskly. "Follow me, if you would."

Not wanting to be rude by telling her we could find our own damn seats, Katherine and I reluctantly followed the professor.

It's a long walk before we find any sort of space. McGonagall opens the compartment door and says with a sigh, "I suppose there's only room for one of you here. The other will have to go to the Slytherin end of the train.

It takes awhile for this to register. By the time I realize that I'd rather be crammed in with a butt load of Hufflepuffs than sit at a table surrounded by Slytherins, it's too late. Katherine's dashed forward and slipped through the doorway, plopping herself down next to a second year.

"Holy- ugh, Katherine!" I yell, wanting to say so much worse. But with McGonagall's reproachful stare at my back, I don't dare.

Katherine gives me a sad smile, and I know she feels at least a little guilty. I'm too furious to accept her silent apology.

McGonagall shuts the door with a small flick of her ebony wand, and points down the aisle. "The Slytherins are that way. Would you like me to accompany you there?"

My stomach lurches at the thought of walking over to all those Slytherins, but being with a teacher would just make it twenty times worse. "Um, no I'm good," I reply hastily.

"Very well," the professor says, and adds with a small smile, "Enjoy your trip."

She's gone before I can blurt out something that would probably get me a month's worth of detentions. That bitch! It was almost like she'd planned for this to happen.

I briefly considered running back to the compartment with all my friends and forcing myself to fit, but I dismiss the idea. I'm not a chicken; I can do this.

But I bite my lip with nervousness as I walk past rows of compartments, hoping that someone friendly would open one of the doors and invite me to sit with them. Naturally, that doesn't happen.

I come to the end of the hallway and slowly pull open the divider.

Somehow, I expected all heads to turn and stare at me as I made my way into the Slytherin area. But only a few look up and glare at me like I was shit underneath their shoe. I take a deep breath and force my legs forward. I can do this.

Much to my frustration, there's not a lot of room here either. I was frantically trying to spot an empty table when the air suddenly turned black.

Shouts of anger rose up around me, but I forced myself to calm down. I knew what this was, and it would pass soon.

It was Peruvian Instant Darkness powder. Danny and Matt used to use it on me all the time, when they'd come to visit over the summer.

As I was thinking that this darkness should have started to fade by now, someone bumps into me from behind and I fall forward.

I land on something soft and…warm. The darkness has started to disappear, and I look up. Oh..fuck.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm staring into the silver eyes of Draco Malfoy. All I can think is why, why did it have to be him?

At first, all we can do is stare at each other as the air around us returns to normal, Slytherins yelling and cursing everywhere.

Then his face twists into one of annoyance and pushes me off him. I barely save myself from falling completely on the floor, and I stand upright and straighten my top nervously.

"Who the hell are you?" he snaps at me, getting up from his chair quickly. I blush, so, soo embarrassed.

"Um, I'm Cassie," I say, fighting to keep what's left of my dignity together. "I'm a-"

He glances down at my robes and interrupts, "A Ravenclaw. What the fuck are you doing here?"

I try to come up with a witty response, but Malfoy doesn't give me the chance. He shoves past me to get to his seat, saying bitterly, "Never mind, I don't care. Just get out."

Malfoy sits stiffly back down with the rest of the Slytherin jerks, and I suddenly feel like everyone in the compartment is staring at me.

I feel like vomiting as I leave this area of the train, trying so hard not to sprint out the door. Oh my god.

It's so much easier to breathe once I shut the door behind me. I take deep breaths to calm myself, and my heart slowly stops racing and my cheeks lose their redness.

Well, now I don't have a choice. I make my way back to the compartment with Cho and everyone else.

Before I open the door, I brush at my hair with shaking fingers. I'm okay.

Matt looks up as I slide the door open, and his face brightens noticeably. I smile back and squish down beside Jason, one of Danny's dumb friends. I should have just done this when I first boarded the train.

"Ughh, Cassie," Jason moans, trying to scoot over but finds there's no more room. "There's no space for you here."

I smirl over at his expression and reply, "I thought you'd want to sit this close to me."

"Well…yeah." He raises an eyebrow cheekily and I smack his arm.

Cho, who was too engaged in a game of Exploding Snaps to notice my arrival, looks over at me with surprise. "Where's Katherine?"

"With some lame Hufflepuffs. I'd rather squeeze in with you guys," I laugh. I'll tell Cho the real story later, when I can cry without being embarrassed in front of all the guys.

After that, the train ride passes by pretty uneventfully. I get caught up in the game of Exploding Snaps, but Matt and Danny start cheating so I quit. Me and Cho braid each others hair and gossip quietly the rest of the ride.

Finally, the train pulls into Hogwarts. I see Hagrid waiting to take the first years across the lake, and I remember my first day. It had been raining, so I mostly just remember being wet and cold.

Since we're all older, I walk over to the carriages with everyone else from our compartment. I know that the carriages are pulled by thestrals, but I can't see them.

Thestrals are only visible to people who have witnessed a death. Matt's the only one that I know of who can see the creatures. Last year, he'd told me he watched his mother die at St. Mungos of some sort of lung disease. Matt had pulled me to the side and whispered that he could see the thestrals that time. Silently, I hope I never get to see what thestrals look like.

Cho spots Katherine standing awkwardly by herself, and waves her over. She shivers from the late autumn air as she comes over to us, but she grins at me.

"How was sitting with the Slytherins?" Katherine giggles, all sympathies from before completely gone.

I glare at her and respond with a snappy, "Tell you later."

Thankfully, the guys don't overhear our conversation. I didn't want them to find out I'd run away after only five minutes in the Slytherin end of the train.

We pile into a carriage and we actually fit, but only because Jason runs off to talk with Dean Thomas. Matt squishes next to me, and I feel butterflies in my tummy.

And I know how cliché that sounds, but it's true. I've liked Matt for a while, but I don't think he feels the same way back.

I push my thoughts away and ignore the sensation in my stomach as we ride up the long hill to Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Candles float overhead as we enter the Great hall. All the other students are mostly already seated, and the teachers have taken their seats at the front of the dining hall.

I slide in next to Cho, and Katherine takes my other side. I take a deep breath and mentally prepare myself for the agonizingly long Sorting that's about to take place.

At first, it was nice, watching all the other first years get sorted into the four different houses. But over the years, it's gotten seriously boring for me.

I pick at a scratch in the oak of our table as the first name is called. "Jessica Abott!"

I look up briefly to see Hannah practically glowing with pride as her sister steps up to the stool. A few seconds after the sorting hat is placed upon her head, the voice rings out, "Hufflepuff!"

Katherine snorts, but no one could possibly hear it over the loud applause from every house except Slytherin. I'm pretty sure they clap for no one outside of their own house.

The Sorting drags on and on, but after Gerald Wattkins is put into Gryfindor, Dumbledore raises his wrinkled hands without a word, and mountains of food appear before us.

I only pick at a few slices of chicken, however, as I laugh and talk with Katherine. The first day of school always makes me nervous, mostly just because I'm worried my classes will suck.

Some of the House Ghosts float into the Great Hall, and I shiver when I lay eyes up the Bloody Baron. With the long, thick chains hanging off his transparent body, I've always found him a bit unnerving. Well, that, and the fact that Cho convinced me in our third year that the Baron had hid in the girls bathroom to spy on us. I giggled to myself at the memory. Cho Chang could talk me into anything.

After most of the students had finished eating, Dumbledore rose from his large, gold encrusted chair at the center of the teachers' table and began his yearly speech.

Normally, I would pay attention. I mean, Dumbledore is sincerely captivating, but my eyes were trained on someone else this year.

This someone was Draco Malfoy. And not because I'd suddenly fallen madly in love with him; the look on his face had me wondering what was going on with him. Malfoy was sitting at the end of the Slytherin table, surrounded by friends, but he just stared blankly at his empty plate. He seemed to be deep in thought, and I couldn't help but try to guess at what he was thinking about. Surely, it wasn't about his upcoming classes.

Katherine snaps me out of my thoughts by smacking my arm. I jump and look around, realizing that the other Ravenclaws around us have started to rise from their chairs.

"Daydreaming?" Katherine smirks up at me. "Let's go, I'm so tired I could sleep right on top of our dinner table."

I laugh along with her as we head up to our dormitory, feeling just about as tired as Katherine. The terrible train ride had completely wiped me out.

Our dormitory is shared by the five Ravenclaw girls in our year. Me, Katherine, Cho, Luna Lovegood, and Julie McCarthy. Things had gotten pretty interesting over the years, mostly just because of Luna.

We come to a stop in front of the portrait. The tiny, bony woman opens her small mouth to give us her riddle.

"A man is traveling to Belgium," she begins, and I listen carefully. Usually, I'll get the riddles straight away, but sometimes I'll have to wait for someone else to along and guess the correct answer.

"Along the way, he meets another wizard with nine wives. Each of these nine wives hold nine bags. There are nine cats inside each of those nine bags. For every cat inside, there are nine kittens. How many wizards, witches, bags, cats, and kittens are traveling to Belgium?"

I look over at Katherine and we both scoff at how easy this riddle was. "One wizard," we respond at the same time. The lady smiled lightly, and the portrait swings open.

I barely glance at the common room that I've missed all summer. I grab Katherine's arm and drag her up to the girls wing, desperate to vent about what happened on the train.

As soon as we enter our dormitory, Katherine yanks her hand away and snaps, "What-"

"It was-awful!" I sob, my eyes starting to water. "On the train!"

Her face softens, and she gently pulls me over to sit on her bed. Katherine brushes at my hair, reminding me of when we were younger.

"Someone used Instant Darkness powder, and someone else bumped into me and I fell on top of- of…" I try to slow down and force his name out. "Draco Malfoy!"

Katherine rolls her eyes and says, "That's it? Cassie, he's probably already forgotten about it."

"No, he yelled at me," I cried. "And all the other Slytherins stared at me like I was a freak."

"Well, he doesn't know who you are, right?" Katherine says, trying to make me feel better. "It's not like he'll be able to find you again. You can just avoid him."

I sniff and respond guiltily, "Um, well, I kinda told him my name."

"What?" she snaps. "Why would you do that?"

"I- I didn't think about it!" I stammered. "I was freaking out, and-"

"Relax," Katherine says quietly, patting my hand. "You'll be okay. And besides, you have Matt to protect you."

I look up in shock at her cheeky expression and I can't even bring myself to say anything.

"Oh, come on," she laughs with a sly smile. "I've seen the way you look at him. I am your best friend you know."

I finally find my voice and say desperately, "What? I don't like him…"

Katherine rolls her eyes again and stands up with a yawn. "Let's just go to bed. I'm too lazy to gossip about your love life."

I glare at her and stick my tongue out, totally pissed. Well, at least she distracted me from thinking about Malfoy- that was a plus.


	4. Chapter 4

When I get my schedule of all the classes I'll be taking this year, the first thing I think is, Well, these aren't too bad.

Then I compare it with my friends' schedules. I find that I have absolutely no classes with either Katherine or Cho, and I only had Potions with Matt.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Danny was in practically all my classes except for two. I groan with utter despair as he winks at me over his cereal. Crap.

I steal a piece of bacon off Cho's plate and nibble at it nervously. Who will I sit with in any of my classes? What if we have to work in partners? This thought sends me into a chewing frenzy. Like hell I'd work with Danny.

"Calm down." Cho giggles at my horrified face. "It won't be that bad."

I try to chew on my stolen bacon some more, but I've eaten it all. This realization makes me want to cry. I wipe my hands on a napkin and force myself to feel better, replying, "Yeah. I mean, it can't get much worse."

I have to fight my way through the crowds on my way to Charms class. By the time I make it to Professor Flitwick's room, most of the students are already there. I try to find someone who looks nice enough to sit beside, but I can't see anyone. It seems that the classroom mostly consists of Slytherins and Gryffindors. God, what were the teachers thinking, putting so many of those two houses together? And me?

I take a deep breath and sit at a table in the very last row. I hope to god that someone good will enter class late and choose to sit with me.

Well, someone does show up late, but it isn't nearly anyone good. I hear a pair of footsteps and turn hopefully, but my expression falls the moment I see the bleach blonde hair of Draco Malfoy.

His eyes lock with mine, and he sneers at me. I pretend I haven't noticed and turn back around.

Flitwick walks up the steps to his podium at the front of the room and calls down, "Mr. Malfoy, you may take a seat next to Miss. Jackson."

I feel like my heart stops. No, god no. Anyone but Malfoy.

Apparently, Malfoy's thinking the same way I am. "No thanks," he scoffs, and moves to sit beside Blaise Zabini, another Slytherin. I don't blame him.

Flitwick frowns and points to him, saying louder than usual, "I don't think so, Mr. Malfoy. You are to sit with Cassie." Malfoy opens his mouth to argue, but Flitwick interrupts with a snappy, "No excuses!"

I see Draco Malfoy's face turn hard, and I cant help thinking how brave Flitwick is for talking to Malfoy like that, even though he was a teacher. I mean, the professor was half his size, and it was a well-known fact that the Slytherin had anger issues.

The rest of the Slytherins laugh noisily as Malfoy clenches his jaw and reluctantly sits beside me, as far away as the table will allow. I inch to the left as much as I can, trying my best to just stay out of his way. Surely, he'd remember me from the train now.

Professor Flitwick begins handing out thick, worn textbooks that I was sure contained hundreds of instructions about certain spells and enchantments. Despite having the worst possible seat in the classroom, I had to admit, I was excited for this class. Charms had always been my favorite.

Flitwick clears his throat and smile down at everyone, then calls out, "Welcome to your sixth year of Hogwarts! This year, in Charms class, you will learn how to perform wordless spells. Although it may seem impossible, I am sure all of you will be able to accomplish it."

I've already used wordless spells before. My mom is an Auror, so she taught me how to perform them over the summer. I barely hold back a sigh; I miss my mom already.

Flitwick interrupts my thoughts with a cheery, "Today, we'll do a bit of review from previous years! With your partner, practice the simple spells found on page fourteen of your textbooks."

My stomach drops the moment the word "partner" leaves the professor's tiny mouth. Damn.

As I flip open my book without a glance at Malfoy, Blaise turns in his seat and smirks at my partner.

"Have fun working with a blood traitor," he whispers, barely holding back a laugh.

My blood boils, but I try desperately to act like it doesn't affect me. Malfoy snorts loudly, as if this was the funniest thing ever. Blaise turns back around and starts to work with Pansy, even though he doesn't look happy about it.

I slap the book open to the right page and mutter, "You can start."

Malfoy completely ignores me. He just stares at the page blankly, seeming to be deep in thought, just like he had been at the Sorting. What was his issue?

I want to smack him so badly, but I'm too terrified. I'd heard so many stories of how he beat up kids with Crabbe and Goyle. No matter how much I hated him, it wasn't worth getting my teeth knocked out.

Instead, I pull my wand out of my robes and feel the smooth ebony wood, my fingers bumping gently over the vines etched into the surface. I get a firm grip and whisper, "Wingardium Leviosa."

My textbook responds instantly, lifting up off the desk. I let it hover about a foot up for just a few seconds, then slowly bring it back down. Okay, next spell.

Around me, other students are going through the list, and most appear to be quite bored. Flitwick shuffles around, peering over everyone's shoulder and calling out things like, "Oh, that wonderful!" and "Mr. Finnigan, please, not so high!"

I was magically flipping through the pages of my book when Flitwick finally notices Malfoy's doing absolutely nothing.

I wait happily, knowing Malfoy's about to get chewed out for being an unresponsive jerk. But when Flitwick gets closer, I don't expect him to say, "Miss. Jackson, why aren't you working with Mr. Malfoy?"

My mouth opens and closes for a second, then I burst out, "But sir, I tried! He wouldn't-"

"Enough," Flitwick cuts me off. "You two are partners, aren't you? I expected more effort from you, Cassie."

The professor walks away without another word. I stare after him in despair and utter exasperation. This year was not off to a great start.

As I glare at Professor Flitwick's retreating back, I slowly register the fact that Malfoy is laughing. Fuming, I turn to him and, despite myself, snap harshly, "Think this is funny, do you?"

I expect him to whip out his wand and curse me for being rude, but instead he just keeps laughing and chokes out, "Yeah, I really do."

I'm too angry to be shocked that Malfoy actually spoke to me. I let out a sigh of frustration and continue on with the work, Malfoy allowing a small chuckle to escape now and then.

After a while of this, Flitwick stands back up at the front of the room and uses up the remainder of class to talk about what else we'll be learning this year. I try hard to focus, but Potions is next and I'm starting to get worried about that, too.

Finally, the bell rings, and I shoot up out of my seat. I'm so busy trying to get out the door that I don't even see that it took Malfoy a few extra seconds to realize the bell had rung, he had been so deep in thought.


	5. Chapter 5

I get to Potions early, and smile happily when I spot Matt sitting at a table by himself. I start to walk over to him, but then I doubt myself. Maybe he won't want to sit with me?

Before I can make a decision, Matt turns and smiles at me, and my heart practically melts when he waves me over.

Dropping my bad beside the chair, I sit down next to Matt. "Thank god you're in this class," I say bravely. "I've had the worst first period."

He laughs and asks, "Why, what happened?"

"I had to sit with Draco Malfoy," I groan.

Matt's eyes widen and he leans closer. His tone completely changes as he says quietly, "Are you serious? Cassie, don't you know he's dangerous?"

"Well, I mean, he's as annoying as frick but he's not-"

"Cassie," Matt interrupts gently. "There are rumors going around that he's a Death Eater."

I stare back at him, slowly processing his words. What? There was no way anyone at our school was working for You Know Who.

I open my mouth to tell him this, but the new potions teacher enters the room before I can say anything. I turn to face the front of the room, Matt giving me a final stare, letting me know I should remember his words.

Professor Slughorn smiles down at us, and I'm actually thinking that this class might be okay. After all, it couldn't be much worse than my first class.

The professor is just opening his mouth to greet us when the door slams open, revealing Filch and a very frustrated Malfoy.

This realization causes me to groan, "God, not this class too!" but it can't be heard over the laughter of several Slytherins. Except for Pansy Parkinson, who looks over at Malfoy with worry.

Filch looks over at Slughorn's confused expression and says gleefully, "Caught this one skipping class. I recommend you give him a punishment."

Malfoy rips his arm away from Filch's grip, and straightens his white shirt with annoyance.

Slughorn shakes his hands at Filch's words and responds cheerfully, "That won't be necessary, Mr. Filch. We wouldn't want anyone to have a bad first day!"

"Too late," I whisper, and Matt tries hard to contain his laughter at my expression.

Filch frowns with disappointment after hearing Malfoy won't be punished, and reluctantly leaves the classroom. Malfoy moves to sit at the table with several Slytherins, but Slughorn stops him and says, "Oh, Mr. Malfoy, you may as well stay standing. We're doing things a bit differently this year, and everyone will be getting assigned seats."

Nearly everyone in the room groans, myself included. I would have had the alone time I'd been looking for with Matt, but now that would be impossible.

Slughorn's smile remains plastered on his face even after our reaction, and he raises his arms cheerfully, "Everyone, stand up!"

The room is filled with the sounds of chairs scraping back, and low mutters of complaints. The professor steps closer and begins directing people to their new seats. I wait nervously, hoping he places me at the same table as Matt.

To my disappointment, it seems Slughorn's trying to mix the houses up. Many Gryffindors are grudgingly put with other Slytherins. This just wasn't my day.

And it was about to get twenty times worse. Slughorn seats me at a currently empty table, then fills it with three Slytherins. And guess what? Malfoy was placed directly next to me.

Matt looks over at me with sympathy and worry in his eyes, but I'm too angry to notice. What the hell? Were all the teachers secretly out to get me this year? Malfoy would surely get fed up with me eventually, then kill me out of frustration. In fact, I thought grimly, I just might end up killing him.

I was exaggerating, obviously, but it didn't feel that way right now. Glancing at Malfoy's stiff figure out of the corner of my eye, I had to bite my lip to keep from hurling an insult at him. He was the last person in this entire school I wanted to be sitting next to.

Slughorn finishes seating everyone and stands back up at the front of the room. "Now, you may have noticed that I split up the houses and put different people together than usual," he smiles down at us. "The teachers of Hogwarts are attempting to integrate the different houses with one another, in the hopes that certain rivalries will be put to an end."

Malfoy and his Slytherin friends scoff at the professor's words, and I silently agree with them. Though I would never say so out loud, it was true. With the Slytherins acting the way they did, house friendships were nearly impossible.

Slughorn goes on to explain what we'll be doing today, and I barely pick up on the fact that we'll be brewing a Death Potion. Fitting, I think dryly. Death was looking pretty good right about now.

It takes me a moment to realize everyone's rising from their seats to grab textbooks from the back of the room. I find the best-looking copy possible and carry it back to my seat.

The professor instructs us to turn to page 123, and then he sends us off. I get up once more to gather ingredients from the side cabinets, wanting to get this over with. Hopefully, Malfoy would just leave me alone like last class.

Unfortunately, Malfoy was acting way different now that he was surrounded by Slytherins. He laughs and jokes around with them, throwing an occasional insult my way. I refuse to react to this, and I'm doing pretty well until he calls me an annoying bitch.

I slam my file down on the table and turn to him, responding furiously, "You know what, Malfoy? Shut the fuck up."

His jeering face turns darker, and he slowly stands. "Want to say that again, blood traitor?"

The short burst of bravery I had previously vanishes. He looks way scarier when he's towering over me. My mouth feels dry, and I'm opening my mouth to tell him shakily that I could say whatever I liked, but Slughorn passes by just in time. Malfoy sits back down after a glare from the professor, then shoots me another dirty look.

My arms feel weak with relief as I pick up the file again, returning to slitting a rat's tail down the middle. I was never standing up to Malfoy again, no matter how much the jerk deserved it.

The rest of class continues uneventfully, now that Malfoy has graciously chosen to ignore me once more. He still talks with the Slytherins at our table, but acts as though I don't exist. I prefer it this way.

Finally, Slughorn goes around the room to test all of our potions. Mine fails the inspection miserably, of course; I sucked at Potions. Much to my disappointment, Malfoy's is deemed nearly perfect.

Harry Potter wins the prize, however (there was a prize?), and I watch as he impatiently accepts the Liquid Luck from Slughorn. I roll my eyes as he attempts to take the vial from Slughorn before the professor is even finished talking. It wasn't like I had anything against Harry, I just thought all the fame he got was a bit uncalled for.

Anyway, the bell finally rings and I catch up with Matt so we can walk to lunch together. He tells me how bad he feels about my terrible seat, and I have to refrain from telling him how badly I wanted to sit with him instead. I manage to keep quiet, and we make it to the Ravenclaw table before I spill anything.

I collapse next to Cho with a loud groan, completely ready to complain the entire lunch period. I know Cho and Katherine will actually put up with it.

And they do; thank god, I needed to vent about the terrible start of this year.

After lunch, I had double Herbology. Much to my anger, Malfoy was in that class as well. But, Professor Sprout must like me, because she didn't force me to work with him. I sat with Julie from our dormitory, which was such a nice change from sitting with Slytherins.

Transfiguration was even better; Malfoy wasn't in my class. The only downer was that Danny practically forced me to sit with him, and now I'm super paranoid he's going to give me cat ears when I'm not looking.

Finally, the first day is over. I flop onto my bed tiredly after dinner and homework, hoping desperately that tomorrow will be better.

Okay, this sounds pretty cliche so far. But don't worry, it'll soon turn bloody and depressing, just like all my other stories xD.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco's P.O.V.

"Parseltongue," I say curtly to the portrait, and it swings open at the giving of the password. I crawl through the small opening and enter the Slytherin common room.

I don't look at anyone else as I flop onto the couch nearest to the fire. This seat had officially become mine in my second year, and no one dared take it. I'm just starting to close my tired eyes when someone shakes my shoulder.

Angry, I sit up and glare at Blaise until he lets go of my shoulder. He laughs and says, "Come on, Draco, get up! The funniest thing just happened. Some first year-"

"Look, Blaise," I cut in, rubbing my eyes. "I don't care."

Blaise was too elated to be hurt, which I don't find surprising at all. Blaise rarely got upset. He pushes some third year out of the way so he can sit at the seat next to mine, saying, "You look terrible, mate."

I lean back and rest my head against the couch, running my fingers through my hair. I decide not to respond to this.

"You need more sleep."

I glare up at him once more, and see that his face has turned more serious than it has in a while. "I can't."

"Why the hell not?"

"You know why," I snap, frustrated that he's making me even refer to it. That was the last thing I wanted to be talking about.

"Draco," Blaise leans closer and lowers his deep voice. "He'd want you to be well-rested, you know that."

That's it; I'm done with this conversation. I stand up suddenly and hiss, "You've no idea what he wants."

Before Blaise can respond, I leave the common room and trudge up the steps to the boy's dormitory.

Collapsing onto my bed, I curl my fingers around the green and silver comforter. I close my sore eyes, and start to drift off immedietley. My last thought before I fall completely asleep is how early I'm going to have to wake up tomorrow. I was getting behind on my task…

Cassie P.O.V.

"Damn it!" I cry angrily, lifting my finger to my eyes and inspecting the fresh cut. It's not too bad, but I'm so pissed off. Freakin' Potions.

The Slytherins at my table don't notice my little outburst, which is probably a good thing. They've been leaving me alone these past few days, as were a week into the first semester. This was most likely because Malfoy was being especially quiet, and I couldn't help but notice how absolutely exhausted he looked.

I shake my head to remove Malfoy from my thoughts and continue to brew the potion. This one was even harder than the Death Potion we'd made on the first day of school, and I was having serious troubles. I'd already cut my fingers three times and had almost set the table on fire.

Slughorn walks by and frowns at me disapprovingly. "Miss. Jackson, that potion is not supposed to be lime green."

"I know, professor, I don't know what I did."

Slughorn glances over at Malfoy and sees that his potion is completely finished, then says, "Draco, help Cassie with her potion." He lowers his voice and tells me, "You're failing this class, as it is."

What? I watch with horror as the professor leaves our table and Malfoy reluctantly scoots closer. Fuck. I was apparently failing Potions, and now Malfoy had to help me? And I had just been thinking I could actually make it through this year…

I refuse to even turn his way as Malfoy leans over my bubbling potion. After a moment, he grumbles, "I can fix it."

He starts sifting through my ingredients, then begins crushing spider legs with the handle of a knife. Despite myself, I peer over at what he's doing and interrupt, "Why are you crushing them? It says to cut them."

Rolling his eyes, he dumps the powder into the cauldron and responds with annoyance, "No, it says to crush them. Can't you read, Jackson?"

"Of course I can!" I reply hotly, pointing to the open textbook. "It says right here to cut the…oh."

"Yeah," he smirks. "You were reading the wrong recipe."

I turn my head so I can glare at the floor angrily. Great, of course Malfoy was right and I was wrong.

I force myself to stay quiet as Malfoy basically makes my potion for me. After about ten minutes, Malfoy gives up. He sets the ladle down and says, "I'm done. Finish it yourself."

Annoyed, I respond snappily, "Fine." I look over the instructions and realize I don't have any Bulgarian grey powder. I'm standing up to go retrieve some when Blaise grabs my arm.

I barely refrain from smacking him across the face, he scared me so badly. He hands me a small bag of grey powder, saying, "Take mine, I'm already done."

Glaring at him suspiciously, I slowly sit back down. There was no way that Blaise Zabini was actually being…nice to me? Then I realize that he probably just didn't want to get up to put the leftovers back. I roll my eyes and open the bag.

I'm just starting to pour it in when Malfoy jumps off his stool, shouting, "Cassie, don't! That's-"

This shocks me so much that I don't even realize half the bag's contents have fallen out into the cauldron. In less than a second, the cauldron is rumbling, and the potion has turned a murky black. I'm too stunned to do anything as the cauldron explodes, sending shards of iron and sizzling hot liquid straight towards me. I feel someone push me harshly out of the way, but the last thing I feel is something hard whack the side of my head so violently that the entire room spins and fades to black.


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing I think when I reawaken is, Fuck, my head hurts. I slowly open my eyes and, once they finally focus, realize that I'm staring at the ceiling of the hospital wing. Wait, how did I get here?

I reach up and feel the thick, white bandage on my forehead. Then I look at my hands and see that they're covered by the same bandages.

I've just started to peel them off, curious as to why they were bandaged, when Madam Pomfrey bustles over and pushes my hands back onto the covers. "Don't take them off yet, you silly girl! I've had enough trouble from him over there, don't even get me started…"

She stalks away, grumbling to herself quietly. I turn my head to see who she meant by "he" and, to my disgust, see Draco Malfoy lying in the bed next to mine.

He has a cut on his cheek, and one arm is covered with bandages. "What are you looking at, Jackson?" he snaps, catching me staring at him.

"Nothing," I retort automatically. "Why are you here?"

Malfoy snorts, then says, "Because I was saving your sorry ass. Big mistake, that was."

"What are you talking about?" I say, trying to recall the last thing I knew before I had blacked out. The cauldron pieces and burning potion had been heading for me, and then- and then…

I turn to him incredulously, and my head feels woozy but I'm too shocked to notice. "Wait a minute, you're the one who pushed me out of the way? When the cauldron exploded?"

"Unfortunately."

"This is a joke," I reply after a moment, staring at his smirking face. "You hate me."

At this, he laughs out loud. "That's true, Jackson. I don't know what came over me when I pushed you out of the way, believe me."

"But- but…why did it even explode?"

Malfoy's face darkens and he snaps, "Blaise was just being an idiot and gave you the wrong powder. He knew it wasn't the right one, but he didn't think it would explode."

"Oh…" I trail off, unsure of what to say to this. We sit in an awkward silence until I remember that, right before the explosion, Malfoy had actually called me by my first name. "Malfoy, when you yelled at me not to put the powder in, you didn't call me Jackson. You called me-"

"Cassie!"

I look up, startled, and see Matt running towards me. He looks so relieved as he makes it to my bed and touches my bandaged hand. Malfoy rolls his eyes and turns over in bed, muttering something about how we both disgusted him.

"Are you okay?" Matt worries, glancing at my wrapped head. "I heard someone yelling, so I turned around and saw the explosion but I was too far away to do anything and-"

"Matt," I interrupt gently. "I'm fine."

He smiles a little, and I notice that he's discreetly looking at my lips. Did I have something on them? Matt rubs my arm, sending shivers up my spine, and says quietly, "I was so worried."

The next thing I know, he's kissing me. I wasn't expecting it at all, but the second I realize he actually feels the same way about me, it's all I can do not to rip his shirt off. But, I control myself and just kiss him gently back, no tongue involved or anything.

He eventually pulls away, and that's when I notice Malfoy's left the room. I don't pay much attention to this, and just blush up Matt, feeling so, so happy.

"What the devil is going on here?"

I turn and see Madam Pomfrey walk briskly over and push Matt toward the door, saying loudly, "She can't have visitors yet! Out, out!"

Matt turns as she forces him out the door and, as quickly as he can, laughs, "See you later", before Pomfrey shuts the door in his face.

I can barely contain my laughter as she bustles back over to me, muttering about young people these days.

Pomfrey is checking under the wraps around my head when Malfoy re-enters the room, having apparently been in the bathroom.

"That," he says as he lies back down on the bed, "was disgusting, Jackson."

I smirk over at him, responding with a simple, "Whatever."

"Well," Madam Pomfrey pats the bandages on my head and says, "Mr. Malfoy, you are free to go. I healed your arm fairly well, but you-" she points to me, "-must stay over night. Head injuries can be especially dangerous, and I refuse to take any chances."

It's Malfoy's turn to smirk at me as I groan. Crap, spending the night in the hospital wing was not my idea of a good time.

Pomfrey moves to Malfoy's bed in order to take all his bandages off. As soon as she's done, Malfoy shoots off the bed and walks quickly to the door.

I glare at his retreating back as Pomfrey changes my bandages. Lucky bastard.

Pomfrey's just replacing the old bandages with new ones when Slughorn walks in, looking very flustered.

", are you alright? I heard the explosion, but I was much too far away to possibly do anything to help." He smiles down at me finally and continues, "You're very lucky Mr. Malfoy was there. From what I saw, those cauldron pieces surely would have killed you."

I stare up at him, starting to feel sweaty. "What? But…I thought it wasn't that serious."

"It certainly looked serious from where I was standing. The table behind you two was completely destroyed, took me nearly an hour to fix it!"

I look down at the sheets, feeling extremely confused. Malfoy really had…saved me. I shake my head, telling myself that it was probably just a split-second thing, that he probably hadn't even thought about it.

"Well, you seem to be in good hands," the professor smiles down at me once more and pats my hand gently. He then adds jokingly, "Now, I expect to see you in my class on time tomorrow, no exceptions!"

As soon as Slughorn's gone, I sink down in the bed and pull the covers up to my chin. I was so confused. One minute Malfoy's insulting me for being an idiot, and the next he's saving me? I close my eyes, thinking how I'll probably never be able to figure him out. And I'm not sure I really want to…


	8. Chapter 8

Walking into Potions the next day is awkward as hell. Everyone stares at me as I nervously sit beside Malfoy, and I notice he scoots away from me slightly. The other Slytherins at our table glare at me, which I actually find surprising. I would have thought Zabini would be ignoring me completely after what had happened.

As dangerous as that class is for me, I make it through without blowing anything else up. I head to Transfiguration straight afterward, and Danny typically bombards me with questions. And some get a little awkward.

"Cassie!" he calls loudly to me as I walk in, earning a sigh from me. So much for having a discreet entrance this class. I reluctantly sit beside him as he continues, "I heard what happened with you and Malfoy yesterday!"

"You and everyone else in this school."

Danny raises an eyebrow, saying, "Well, word from the hospital wing says that things got hot and steamy between you and Matt. Bet the rest of the school doesn't know that, eh?"

I stare at his smirking face in utter shock. Finally, I find my voice and stammer, "How-how did you find out?"

"Colin Creevy. You don't know him, he's a Gryffindor."

"That creep was watching us?" I practically yell.

"He works for the school paper. Those people are friggin' everywhere."

I force my voice down and say, "You better not tell anyone."

"Calm down, Cassidora." I give him a death glare as he uses the annoying nickname. He grins and holds his pinky finger up. "I pinky promise."

I scoff and, holding back my laughter, say, "I'm not touching you."

This, apparently, was an invitation for Danny to tickle me. I fight him off as best I can, and he thankfully stops.

"So," he grins after a moment, "how was he?"

Outraged, I smack his arm as hard as I can. I start to yell at him for being a pervert, but McGonagall walks in and I have to shut up. I give him a final glare before turning away so I can actually pay attention.

Over time, it gets less awkward in Potions. Sure, the Slytherins mostly just ignore me now, but at least none of them are giving me exploding powder. Matt and I mostly act like we never kissed, but we give each other small smiles when no one's looking. Unfortunately for me, we weren't officially dating, so I couldn't hold his hand like I wanted to so often.

We're a few months into the semester when Slughorn finally confronts me about my grade in his class.

"Cassie," he pulls me aside as everyone packs up their stuff after double Potions. "I think you should consider getting a tutor."

I raise my eyebrows in shock, but really, I knew this was coming. "But… am I really still failing? I thought I was doing better."

The professor smiles at me sadly and replies, "Yes, my dear, you are failing my class. I had hoped you would do better over time, but truthfully, it's been quite the opposite."

"Yeah…okay. I mean, Potions isn't my forte…"

Slughorn pats my shoulder and tells me that he's grateful I understand. He's turning to leave when I suddenly call out, "Wait, who's going to tutor me?"

"Well, Miss. Jackson, surely you must know who is at the top of this class."

"No," I say slowly, trying to think. Then I remember who won the Liquid Luck. I let out an involuntary groan and say, "It's not Harry Potter, is it?"

Slughorn chuckles and says, "No, Draco Malfoy certainly has a higher grade than Mr. Potter."

It takes me a moment to process what the professor said. There was no way this was happening. "Sir, he and I don't exactly…see eye to eye."

By now, the classroom is almost completely empty. Slughorn smiles warmly and gives my shoulder another pat, saying, "I'm sure you two will be able to make it work."

And then he's disappeared into his office. I stare at the closed wooden door and feel like throwing a curse at it. Did Slughorn really expect Malfoy to willingly tutor me? Fat chance that was going to happen.

But I'm failing Potions, I think with an internal groan. I don't really have a choice, as much as I hate to admit it. I turn and exit the classroom, determined to find Malfoy.

Draco P.O.V.

My shoes slap loudly against the stone steps as I descend down one of the many staircases. I pull the strap of my bag up a little higher on my shoulder frustrated that it keeps slipping.

I was just thinking how I should head for the Room of Requirement for my free period when I hear someone calling my name behind me.

I turn and groan out loud when I see that it's Jackson. Damn. She was one of the last people I wanted to be around right now.

She stops in front of me and, trying to catch her breath, doesn't say anything for a moment. I wait impatiently and lean against the wall, watching people pass by. I don't look at her as I say, "What do you want, Jackson?"

"I need," she takes a deep breath and looks as though she'll be sick as she says, "…your help."

I scoff and reply, "Excuse me?"

Jackson rolls her eyes, and I can't help but notice how startlingly green they are. "I'm failing Potions."

"And let me guess, you need me to tutor you."

She tilts her head back and says with an exasperated groan, "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do."

I shake my head and turn to leave, saying coldly over my shoulder, "Find someone else to tutor you."

I'm thinking she's actually going to give up when I feel her hand on my shoulder. It's…warm. I turn with annoyance and open my mouth to tell her to fuck off, but she interrupts me.

"Please, Malfoy," she begs. "You're the top of the class, and I'm seriously failing."

"Potter," I say nastily, "can tutor you."

I hear the disgust in her voice as she responds instantly, "I do not want Potter to tutor me."

This actually confuses me. I always thought most girls would kill for a chance to work with the famous Potter, but Jackson looks thoroughly disgusted. With my task in the back of my mind, I snap, "Do you honestly think I have time to tutor you?"

"Please," she begs again. "I'll do anything."

The hallways are thinning, and I'm starting to get angry she's wasting my time. But then again, the fact that she didn't like Potter made me hate her a little less, and there was something in her voice that made me want to help her. But I can't.

"Look," I sigh and open my mouth to tell her there's no way I could possibly tutor her. But what comes out instead is, "Okay."

She's just as shocked as I am. I blink a few times, wondering if I really just said that I would tutor her. Eventually, a smile overcomes the shock on her face and she says happily, "Oh my god, thank you, thank you."

"Don't make me regret it," I snap, but I'm already beginning to when she giggles.

"You won't," Jackson promises, but I don't believe it. The hallways are deserted now, and I groan inwardly on how much time has been wasted.

"But there are rules," I tell her. "No one can know, so we can only meet at night. I'm…busy a lot, so don't expect the time to be reasonable enough for you."

Jackson nods and asks, "Where should I meet you?"

This makes me pause. Where should we meet? There was no way I was letting anyone find us; I dryly think of my reputation I was trying so desperately to maintain. Well, there was always the Room of Requirement, and I was in there everyday anyway…

"Room of Requirement," I say shortly. As soon as she says okay, I pull up my bag and say, "Now go away before I change my mind."

Surprisingly, Jackson doesn't look insulted like she usually does. She just thanks me again and walks back up the stairs hurriedly.

Once she's gone, I lean against the wall. Why the hell did I just agree to that? I had so much work to do, and I just agreed to tutor someone I hate.

Maybe Crabbe and Goyle are right, I think, recalling the conversation they'd had with me a few days ago. Maybe I am going soft…


	9. Chapter 9

Draco P.O.V.

"Damn it, Jackson, pay attention!" I snap, grabbing her wrist before she can dump dragon scales into the bubbling cauldron. "You have to put in claws, not scales."

"I'm sorry!" she cries, looking so flustered. "I thought you said scales…"

"Jesus," I breathe with annoyance. "Aren't you listening to me?"

Jackson steps away from the cauldron and runs her fingers through her golden-brown hair. "No."

"Jackson, this is our third time of me tutoring you. I can't help you if you're not even listening to me!"

"I know," she sighs quietly. "I'm just tired. It's three in the morning, and we have school tomorrow."

"No shit," I snap harshly, then soften my voice when I notice the dark circles under her eyes. Although I know mine are much worse, I can't help but feel a little guilty. "It's okay, we'll meet here straight after classes tomorrow. But if you don't start paying attention to me, you'll have to get help from someone else."

Jackson blinks her slightly puffy eyes and whispers almost silently, "Thanks, Draco." Before I can process what she even said, she's stumbled out the door and is gone.

Did she just…call me Draco? No, I think in disbelief. I was only Malfoy to her, and it would stay that way if I had anything to say about it.

Cassie P.O.V.

Despite my issues with paying attention, I was actually starting to do better in Potions. Malfoy wasn't as stupid as I'd thought, and it seemed like he actually knew what he was doing. He's been tutoring me for about two weeks now, and Christmas vacation is coming up. Three days before everyone will be leaving for break, Malfoy sends me an owl, telling me to come to the Room of Requirement.

"Hey," I say as I enter the room he thought up for our tutoring. He returns our mutually decided greeting as I drop my bag beside the center table.

"Did you start the essay?" he asks, rubbing his face.

I sit down at the table with a groan and retrieve the scroll of paper from my bag, responding, "Yeah, but it sucks."

Malfoy laughs at this, and holds the paper up to scan it over. "Well, for one thing, 'definitely' does not have three 'e's in it."

"…it doesn't?"

He rolls his eyes and smirks, "Really, Jackson? You can't listen, read, or spell?"

I have a burst of indignation and say with annoyance, "At least I'm better at actual spells than you!"

"I doubt it," he scoffs. "I know spells you couldn't even dream of."

"Yeah, but I'm doing better than you in Charms."

"Who cares about Charms class? Anyway, stop distracting me." Malfoy sets the essay down on the table and tries to read it over, but I keep leaning over to see the mistakes he's correcting. "Jackson, I can't fix your stupid essay with you staring at every thing I do."

"But why is that wrong?" I ask, pointing to a sentence he's crossed out. "Death Potions do take hours to brew."

"For you they do," he smirks up at me again, earning a glare in return. "For everyone else, it takes a little under an hour. I thought you were doing better, Jackson?"

"I am!" I burst out, leaning back in my chair. "I just hate Potions."

"And I hate this school. I'm still here, aren't I?"

I look up at him and brush the hair out of my eyes, suddenly curious. "It can't be that bad, can it? I mean, you practically run Hogwarts as it is."

His face turns darker, as though he's remembering something. "Not anymore, according to Crabbe and Goyle."

"What? Did they say something to you?" I ask, not being able to stop myself from pushing further.

Malfoy shakes his head and rolls up my essay, saying, "I don't want to talk about it. Your essay looks okay, I would just talk about the ingredients more."

"Okay," I reply, looking at him suspiciously out of the corner of my eye. "So…I guess I'll see you after break?"

"Yeah, see you after break," he says as I pack up my bag.

Just to make conversation as I'm putting my things away, I ask him if he'll be leaving Hogwarts for the holidays.

"No," he snorts. "I'd rather be stuck here than go home. Besides, I have stuff to do."

I refrain from asking him what that stuff was, exactly, because I know he won't tell me anyway. I stand up with my bag on my shoulder and say awkwardly, "Um, Happy Christmas, Malfoy."

He looks up at me, and for the first time, I really get a good look at his eyes. I mean, I had known what they looked like and everything, but this was the first time I've noticed the tiny flecks of gold embedded in the grey. Malfoy interrupts my thoughts by replying distractedly, "You too, Jackson."

As I make my way back up to the common room, I can't help but wonder why Malfoy was being nicer to me. Well, he wasn't being nice exactly, but he was talking to me and actually…laughing. That wasn't how he acted in front of everyone else.

I push past a group of Hufflepuffs and climb the stairs to the common room. Maybe he's just too tired to throw real insults at me, I think. It wouldn't surprise me; Malfoy had looked absolutely exhausted even before he started tutoring me. Again, I wonder what "stuff" he had to do so often. Even though I know it's useless, I'm determined to find out after break.

Since I had missed dinner to meet up with Malfoy, my stomach rumbles as I enter the common room. It's pretty late, just past curfew, so I'm surprised to see Matt sitting alone in the deserted common room by the fire.

I collapse next to him, but I'm confused by his expression. He looks tired and slightly…angry.

"What's up?" I ask slowly, setting my bag onto the space beside me. Matt looks up after a moment, and doesn't even smile when he notices it's me.

"You missed dinner," he says, now refusing to look at me.

I bite my lip, suddenly nervous. This was one of the few times I had been with Malfoy before curfew, and I had been hoping no one would notice my absence. I didn't want to tell Matt where I had been, but I couldn't lie to him either.

When I don't respond, Matt continues, "Were you studying or something?"

"Uh, sort of. Look, is something wrong?" I ask. "You're acting kinda weird."

He ignores my question and says coldly, "Were you with Malfoy?"

My throat tightens, and I suddenly feel dizzy. How could he possibly know? I hadn't told anyone about my unlikely tutor, so there was no way Matt could know.

He sees my shocked expression and says, "The other day, in Potions, Malfoy said to you, 'This is exactly what you did last night'. What the hell, Cassie? Are you seeing him or something?"

"No! I'm not dating him, he's tutoring me!" I cry, starting to feel sick. I remember Malfoy saying that two days ago, and at the time I'd thought no one heard. "I was failing Potions, and Slughorn told me that Malfoy had the best grades."

"Cassie," he snaps. "I told you he was dangerous."

"He's not!"

"And now you're defending him?" he counters, staring at me in disbelief. "Do you have a crush on him, is that it?"

"No!" My eyes are starting to water, and I try desperately to push them away. "Why are you acting like this? He's just tutoring me!"

Matt stands up from the couch in anger, saying, "Are you sure that's really what's going on? Cause' it seems like you two are doing more than studying."

"That's unfair-"

"You know what?" he interrupts suddenly, putting his hands up furiously. "I'm done."

The tears spill over as he turns away, and I cry out, "Please, Matt-"

"I'm going to bed," he snaps over his shoulder. "I've got Quidditch tomorrow."

And then he's gone. It all happened so fast; I wasn't sure if it had actually been real. For a few seconds, I stare at the entrance to the boy's dormitory, hoping he'll come back and apologize. But he doesn't.

I bury my face into a pillow to muffle any sobs, knowing that whatever he and I had, however small, was now gone.


	10. Chapter 10

Matt does his best to avoid me the next day. I try to get near enough to at least try to explain, but he just turns the other way whenever he sees me coming.

Really, I'm the one who should be mad. He's being completely unreasonable. But I'm not angry with him, I just miss him.

The worst part is that I have no one to talk to about this. I can't go to Cho or Katie without explaining Malfoy's tutoring, and I'm terrified they'll think the same things Matt did. That leaves Danny, but he's currently ignoring me. I don't think I'd ever go to him for advice anyway…

Well, I spent Christmas vacation at home with my parents. Katie, Cho, and I tried to work out a sleepover, but we were all too busy visiting family. I didn't mind, however; I needed a break from everything.

After a blissful week of no homework or classes, I'm finally back at Hogwarts. Two weeks go by, faster than I'd expected, and I'm starting to feel less torn up about Matt. We've fallen into an awkward state where we avoid one another, which becomes exceptionally difficult at meal times. I sometimes catch myself staring at him, hoping he'll look up and ignite a spark, reminding the both of us of how things might have been. But he never meets my eyes.

Even after the fight, I still go to get tutoring from Malfoy. I feel incredibly guilty about it after what Matt said, but I don't have much of a choice anymore. I refuse to fail Potions, and Malfoy is pretty much the only one who can prevent that from happening.

It's Saturday today, and I'm feeling relieved that classes are over for this week. Malfoy had sent me an owl, telling me he could tutor me later this afternoon. He helped me study for a little over two hours, to prepare for an upcoming Potions exam that I'm currently dreading.

I've already packed up my bag after we finish, so I turn to Malfoy to say goodbye.

"Wait, Jackson," he says before I can turn away. I look over at him and see he's awkwardly shuffling his feet. Malfoy looks up at me through blonde hair that's fallen in his eyes, then asks curiously, "What's up with you and that Matt guy?"

It takes me a moment to find my voice, as I'm completely caught off guard, but then force out, "Why-why do you ask?"

"I just thought you two had a thing," he says with a shrug. "But now you just avoid each other."

"Um," I reply blankly, wondering why Malfoy is acting like this. It's almost as if he…no. I stop myself there; the real Malfoy didn't give a crap about my life. I stare at him suspiciously as I ask, "Why do you care so much? I thought you hated me."

"I don't-" he says exasperatedly, but then stops himself halfway through the sentence. "Look, I just wanted to know."

"Well," I respond bitterly. "If we had anything, it's over now."

There's silence for a moment, then I say with embarrassment, "I dunno why I just told you that..."

"No," Malfoy says quietly. "It's okay, and it's my fault for asking." There's another awkward silence, and I'm wondering if I should just leave when he says even quieter than before, "If it makes you feel any better, I thought you two were a bad couple anyway."

I stare at him in shock, my mouth half open. Finally I force out in anger, "Well, no one cares what you think, Malfoy."

I grab my bag off the chair furiously and storm towards the door, knowing that if I stay any longer I'll end up giving Malfoy a black eye.

I rip open the door, faintly hearing Malfoy calling behind me, "Wait, Cassie-", but I slam the door before I can hear the rest of what he had to say.

As I stomp up the stairs to the Great Hall for dinner, I furiously think of why Malfoy had been acting so weird. It isn't any of his business, what's going on with Matt and I. I had finally been able to push it from my mind when we were tutoring, but Malfoy had to be an idiot and bring it up…

It's not until I reach the top of the stairs that I realize Malfoy had called me Cassie for the second time in my life.

Draco P.O.V.

I'm so pissed, but the worst part is that I have no one to blame it on but myself. I'm trying to work on the Vanishing Cabinet, but it's not working out so great, mostly because all I can think about is how frustrated I am.

Why do I always fuck up? I think angrily to myself, ripping the cover off the tall, looming cabinet. Jackson and I were finally getting along okay, and then I had to screw it up and ask her about her little boyfriend.

This thought causes me to whip the cover to the ground in anger. I just wanted to know if what they had was over; it's not a crime to be curious, is it?

I pull out a scrap of paper with different spells scribbled on it, and clutch at my wand. I have to focus. This is not the time to fall apart over some stupid girl that I don't even like.

But I know it's hopeless. The spells I had spent hours searching for in the Restricted Section are useless now, since I can't do much more than think about how angry I am. I stuff the paper back into my pocket after about a half hour of waving my wand around uselessly, then throw the cover back over the cabinet a bit harder than I mean to.

I can tell dinner's over, as the hallways are full of students heading back to their dormitories. This only adds to my frustration, and I shove through a group of sleepy first years on my way to the dungeons.

It takes me a moment to remember the password, but I eventually do and enter the common room. I give anyone who stares a famous death glare, and no one tries talking to me. That is, until I reach the boy's dormitory. Unfortunately, Crabbe and Goyle aren't bothered by my glares anymore.

"Draco, man," Goyle says in his deep voice, sitting down on his bed with an unnaturally loud squeak. "Where've you been?"

I roll my eyes and reply with annoyance, "Working." I'd hoped to just go to bed before I did anything stupid (like find Jackson and apologize, which I'd seriously considered on the way down here), but these two idiots are not going to let that happen.

"Well, is it fixed?" Crabbe asks nosily, leaning up against a bedpost.

"Of course not, dumbass," I snap. "It's harder than it looks to fix."

"You gotta hurry up, man," Goyle says, fueling my anger even more.

"I know, okay?" I retort with frustration. "I'm working on it, so just fuck off."

Their faces turn darker, and I don't miss the glance they give each other. Crabbe crosses his bulky arms and asks, "Or maybe you're just too afraid to-"

In an instant, I've shot forward and slammed Crabbe into the bedpost, my fingers clutching at his shirt collar in fury. It hadn't taken much for me to snap.

"Shut the hell up," I snarl, barely refraining from pulling out my wand. I lower my voice and hiss, "He gave this task to me. I'm not scared."

Crabbe just stares at me in fear, and after a second I rip my hands away, stepping back. The two of them are shaking, and I notice Goyle has stood up from the bed with his wand clutched in his hand. I turn my head away and snap, "Get the fuck out."

They leave without a word, almost tripping over one another in their attempt to get away. After a moment, I sink down onto the bed and grip a handful of my hair, wanting to just rip it out. I'm not afraid, I repeat to myself again, starting to shake from the effort of holding myself together. I am not afraid…


	11. Chapter 11

Cassie P.O.V.

The hallways are cold at four in the morning. I pull my cloak tighter around my shoulders and shiver. Maybe this isn't such a good idea…

Malfoy owled me about twenty minutes ago, waking me up from a nice, warm sleep. The note had simply said, _We need to talk. _Seeing Malfoy had been the last thing I wanted to do, but after the owl I couldn't fall back asleep and, well, I had nothing better to do. Besides, I wouldn't mind yelling at him some more.

I walk back and forth three times in front of the entrance to the Room of Requirement, thinking over and over that I wanted to see Malfoy. The door materializes out of the stone wall, and I wrench it open.

Malfoy's pacing in front of the center table, and I don't miss the lines of worry on his face that seem to have formed over night. I step cautiously forward, wondering if he's angry with me.

He must have heard me come in, because he looks up and rushes toward me. He stops a few feet away and says hurriedly, "Cassie, look, I-"

"Malfoy," I interrupt, blinking as he uses my first name. "Why do you keep calling me Cassie?"

This stops him, and he looks at me in confusion. "No I don't…I just called you Jackson, didn't I?"

I shake my head, not being able to stop a small smile. I finally allow myself to laugh as I say, "Are we on a first name basis now?"

"What? No! I mean…I dunno," he stammers, completely thrown off track. "Anyway, I wanted to…ugh…apologize."

I had been so ready to flip out on Malfoy, ready to yell for asking about Matt and waking me up so early on a Sunday. But now, I just can't. He actually looks genuinely sorry, and he had called me Cassie instead of Jackson again. I bite my lip and say quietly, "It's okay. It was actually nice, saying it out loud, if that makes sense…"

"No, I get it," he responds, starting to look slightly less guilty and awkward. "Okay, I guess we're good."

I step in front of him as he starts to make for the door, with a cheeky grin on my face. "Nope, you found out something personal about me, now I get to learn something personal about you, too."

"Uh, Jackson-"

I raise my eyebrows and say, "Am I Jackson again? Make up your mind, god."

He's starting to look uncomfortable again, and keeps shuffling his feet. I barely contain a laugh as I look up at him, seeing how badly he wants to get out of here, and continue, "And I get to ask the question, since you asked me before."

"I don't think-" He stops, seeing my defiant expression. Malfoy rolls his eyes and sighs exaggeratedly. "Fine."

I smile, proud of myself, then quickly turn serious. "What have you been doing so much in the Room of Requirement?"

I see Malfoy visibly tense up, and he stammers out too quickly, "Tutoring you, of course."

Narrowing my eyes, I snap, "You know what I mean. You're up to something else, so what is it?"

For a second, he looks torn, and I actually think he's going to tell me when he forces out, "You only get one question, Jackson." And then he dashes past me and sprints out the door, leaving me frustrated and even more confused than before.

He had been so close to telling me. I knew by the way he had looked that Malfoy had been on the verge of telling me everything, why he was always so tired, why he spent so much time in the Room of Requirement. But then he'd chickened out and run for the door. Feeling extremely frustrated, I head for the door as well, deciding there's no point in staying anymore. _I will find out what's going on with him, _I think determinedly. _Even if I have to force it out of him._

The next day, I try to be as friendly with Malfoy as I possibly can during Charms class. Maybe if I'm nice, he'll tell me what's wrong.

That, unfortunately, was easier said than done. Malfoy was constantly laughing at me as I attempted to charm a quill to spout legs and walk around the table.

"It's not working, Jackson," he says, trying (and failing) to stop laughing. "Maybe you should let me do it. You know, save you the trouble."

"You'd do that for me?" I reply sarcastically. I flick my wand over and over at the quill in frustration. "That's – very – sweet."

"Jeez, don't poke someone's eye out," Malfoy smirks, reaching out his arm to stop my flailing wand. "I worry about you sometimes."

I finally give up and slide the stupid quill over to Malfoy, barely refraining from rolling my eyes. Why can't I focus? Normally, Charms is the easiest class ever for me, but today I can't do anything right. I watch as he reaches for his wand, and I say defiantly, "Well, you're the one distracting me."

"I was not distracting you!" Malfoy retorts, positioning the quill in front of him.

"Mmhm, sure," I say as Malfoy mutters the enchantment. "You hate me so much that you want me to fail Charms."

"I don't hate you."

Malfoy had said it in passing, almost like it really didn't mean anything. I look up and catch his eye at just the right moment, and it's as though something shifts between us. Almost like we're not complete enemies anymore, nor just classmates. Neither of us looks away for a few seconds, and I know Malfoy felt the change, too. It's not until the quill flips upwards onto its new legs and runs straight into Malfoy's arm do we look away from each other.

Malfoy reaches down quickly to pull the quill away from his arm, grumbling about how I'd distracted him. I giggle softly as he rubs his arm, pretending that it hurt. _Maybe, _I think to myself as I watch, _Maybe this is what it's like to be friends with Draco Malfoy._


	12. Chapter 12

It's Friday today, and I'm feeling relieved that classes are over for this week. Malfoy had sent me an owl, telling me that he could tutor me later in the afternoon.

He helped me study a little over two hours, to prepare for an upcoming Potions exam that I'm currently dreading. Once we finish, I pack up my bag and turn to Malfoy to say goodbye.

"Actually," he smirks. "I'm going too. I have to talk to Trelawney about her stupid essay…"

"Okay," I laugh and exit the Room of Requirement with Malfoy close behind. This is the first time Malfoy and I have left together, and at first I'm worried people will notice. But no one even gives us a glance as we turn into the only slightly crowded hallway, making me feel very relieved.

We don't talk as we climb the stairs up towards the Ravenclaw common room, which happens to be near the Divination classroom. I'm thinking that we just might make it without being noticed when I see Matt leaning up against a pillar about ten feet away, staring at us.

_Fuck, _I think, my mood crashing instantly. How could I have been so stupid as to walk with Malfoy? It hadn't even crossed my mind that Matt would see us. I look around frantically for some way to avoid him, but he's standing in the hallway we need to pass through. Unfortunately, the hallway is nearly empty on this side of the school, so there's no cover. Malfoy hasn't even noticed what's going on, but I'm silently freaking out.

As we get closer to Matt, I calm myself down a bit by the thought that he probably won't even say anything to me. Matt had been ignoring me since before break, so why should he stop now, right? Wrong.

We're just passing him when I hear Matt say quietly, almost deadly, "What the hell are you playing at, Cassie?"

My legs turn to jelly, but I force myself to have an emotionless face as I turn to face him. I see out of the corner of my eye, Malfoy slow down beside me, debating whether or not to keep walking. Apparently, his curiosity got the better of him, and he stood slightly behind me.

"You ignore me for two weeks," I say, surprising even myself at how calm I sound. "And now you decide to talk to me?"

Malfoy's starting to look uncomfortable, then says quietly, "Um, maybe I should-"

"I've seen it, Cassie," Matt interrupts, staring at me unblinkingly.

"Seen what?" I ask, actually wondering what the hell he's talking about.

"His Dark Mark."

There's silence for a second, and I feel Malfoy tense up beside me. I blink several times, hoping this is just a dream, that this isn't happening right now. My hands feel sweaty as I reply shakily, "Matt, stop it. Malfoy does not have-"

"I saw it!" Matt yells suddenly, uncrossing his arms and stepping closer in anger. His face looks slightly red as he points to Malfoy, "I saw the Dark Mark on his arm. He's a Death Eater, Cassie."

I take a step away despite my desire to stay strong, and I'm starting lose whatever confidence I had earlier. "You're wrong. He can't-"

"In the bathroom, I saw it," Matt says, lowering his voice dangerously. "He was washing his hands, and I saw it."

I have to bite my lip to keep from crying as I yell, "He's not! Draco's not a Death Eater!"

It takes me a moment to realize my mistake. Matt's looking at me with shock plastered on his face, and I can't even see Malfoy anymore.

"Oh my god," Matt says quietly, his voice shaking slightly. "I can't believe you, Cassie. I thought you were smarter than this."

I back away even farther, wanting more than anything to be away from Matt's glares and accusations. I take another step away and bump into Malfoy, and I feel him gently take my arm, keeping me from falling.

Matt stares at us, then says almost sadly, "Cassie, you have to listen to me. He's a Death Eater, he's working for You Know Who!"

I open my mouth to say some sort of retort, but before I can say anything, Malfoy snaps, "Shut up."

No one says anything for a moment, and I'm surprised Malfoy's even still here. He lets go of my arm and takes a step toward Matt, saying quietly, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually I do," Matt says, quickly getting over his shock. "You're a fucking Death Eater, what more do I need to know?"

"Shut up," Malfoy repeats threateningly.

I glance back and forth between the two of them, scared shitless. Unsure of what to do, I step between them carefully and say, "Matt, just stop. You're being completely ridiculous."

"Am I?" Matt says coldly to me. "Okay, then have him show you his left arm. You'll see-"

It happened so fast, there was absolutely nothing I could do. Malfoy reached past me and punched Matt square in the jaw, sending him flying to the side. I stare down in shock as Matt hits the ground, Malfoy standing beside me and breathing heavily in anger.

Matt glares up at Malfoy, wiping at the blood trickling from his split lip. I feel like throwing up as he turns to me and I see the pure hatred in his eyes. I know that no matter what I say or do, Matt will never forgive me.

Slowly, Malfoy takes my arm and gently pulls me away. The tears finally spill over as I blindly follow him. Malfoy walks faster and faster until we're both running. I wipe frantically at my eyes, telling myself over and over there was nothing to cry over, that I hadn't done anything wrong. When I open my eyes again, Malfoy's slowing down and pulling me behind a small statue in a deserted hallway. It's dark out now, so the glowing of the torches illuminates his face as he leans closer to me.

"Are you okay?" he whispers, looking into my eyes. He still hasn't let go of my arm, but I don't notice at all.

I sniffle quietly then choke out, "No. No, I'm really not."

Before I even know what's happening, Malfoy's pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

I blink in confusion, letting a small gasp escape as he envelops me into a hug I never thought he was capable of. I'm too shocked to return the embrace, yet I can't help but pick up on the scent of his skin. It reminds me of…rain.

This snaps me back into reality, and I pull away suddenly. He doesn't let go of my shoulders.

"I- I have to ask you something," I stammer quietly. I look down at the floor and feel almost embarrassed as I ask, "Are you…a Death Eater?"

He doesn't say anything for a moment, and I refuse to look at his face to see his reaction. Feeling guilty, I say quickly, "I mean- I know you're not, I just-"

Before I can finish, Malfoy tilts my head toward him with his hand and leans down. The last thing I think is, _His breath smells like spearmint,_ before his lips claim mine.

For a moment, I'm too stunned to even react. But before I know it, or even realize it, I'm kissing him back. My mind seems to completely go blank, and I wind my arms around him, pulling him closer.

His tongue is just finding its way into my mouth when I realize what I'm doing. My eyes fly open and I quickly pull away, breathing heavily. Malfoy stares down at me, looking almost as confused as I am. I push him away from me and force out, "I- I can't do this." Then I turn on my heel and run as fast I possibly can.


	13. Chapter 13

Draco P.O.V.

As I lie in my bed, unable to fall asleep, all I can think about is how pathetically stupid I am. I'd only kissed her because…well, I had to distract her from asking the question I didn't want to answer. I wasn't supposed to…like it.

_But I did, _I think with frustration. God, I'd liked it.

I roll over angrily. This whole thing is Matt's fault, anyway, he's the one who told Jackson about my Dark Mark.

I rub it absentmindedly, wondering how I should act tomorrow. Should I pretend that nothing happened? Or should I confront her, like I want to, and ask her what this means for us?

_What am I thinking? _I ask myself furiously. That stupid kiss didn't mean anything. I'd only done it to shut her up, and it had worked, hadn't it? And anyway, she's the one who pushed me away. Cassie probably didn't even _want _to kiss me.

Rolling over the other way, I let out a frustrated sigh and try to ignore Goyle's snores. Why did I have to kiss her? She was upset about Matt, and then I went and confused her even more. I shouldn't have done that to her. Although I'll never admit it, I care about her feelings more than that.

The next morning, I wake up earlier than I'd planned. It's Saturday, and I'd wanted to sleep in, but that isn't happening. Despite my ache to stay in bed, I roll out and stumble to the bathroom sleepily.

My reflection in the mirror stops me. I usually try to avoid seeing myself, but I'm so exhausted that I accidentally glance at my face.

The dark circles have gotten worse, and my eyes look slightly bloodshot. I rub them furiously, hoping to change the haunted figure that stares back at me, but it's still the same. I force myself to look away after a moment and turn the tap on, then splash cold water onto my face.

It doesn't have the desired effect of waking me up more. I dry my pale skin on a deep green towel and wander back to my bed, hoping to find my shoes.

No one else is up yet, and I glance at my watch, seeing that it's only four in the morning. Great.

I'm just picking up one of my shoes up off the floor when my left arm burns with so much intensity that I drop the sneaker. Blinking through the pain, I let out an involuntary hiss as I clutch at my shirt sleeve. I rip it upwards and look down at the sinister skull, the slithering snake. _He's calling someone, _I think dully. _Thank god it's not me._

I wait for the pain to subside slightly before retrieving my fallen sneaker and pulling it on. I don't want to stay here any longer; Blaise is mumbling in his sleep and it's setting my teeth on edge. There's only one other place to go for me, so I slip out of the common room and walk briskly through the halls to the Room of Requirement.

The castle is freezing this early in the morning. I shiver slightly, but I try to ignore the cold. The Mark burning just reminded me how much faster I have to work, not matter how badly I don't want to.

Since it's so early, I don't expect to see anyone out in the halls. So when I trip over a small, breathing lump on the ground, it's hard not to take out my wand and spit out a few curses. I'm reaching into my jean pocket for it when I see who I've tripped over. It's Jackson.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" I snap, rubbing my jaw where it had struck the stone floor. "It's four thirty in the morning, Cassie."

She rubs her eyes sleepily, and I notice how puffy and red they are. With guilt prickling in my stomach, I sit up closer to her. Cassie pushes herself into a sitting position and mumbles, "The riddle…couldn't figure it out, and I couldn't get in…"

"What are you talking about?" I ask, more gently this time. I notice she's shivering uncontrollably, and I have the sudden impulse to give her my jacket. I resist the urge and continue, "Were you locked out of your common room or something?"

She nods, starting to look more awake now. "Yeah. When I got to the portrait, I barely even heard the riddle, so I just guessed and got it wrong. No one else was around to try and answer it for me…"

"You didn't spend the whole night out here?" I ask in disbelief, even more guilty than before. I have a sinking feeling that Cassie had been crying too hard to hear the portrait's riddle.

"Well…yeah."

"Cassie," I groan, helping her up. "You could have owled me, I would have guessed it for you."

"Like you could have gotten it right," she smirks.

_She wouldn't have owled me even if I could get it right, _I think, remembering how upset she'd been last night. Despite my better judgment, I lean close to her and ask seriously, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cassie says quickly. She lets out a weak laugh and adds, "I'm fine."

I give her a skeptical look, knowing she's lying. "No. You're not okay, Cassie."

"Look," she sniffles suddenly, and I see she's barely holding back fresh tears. "You can drop the act. I know you don't actually care."

"I do care!" I retort angrily. "Can't you see that?"

Cassie bites her lip, attracting my gaze to her mouth. _No, no, don't look, _I think desperately, focusing my eyes back to hers. This is definitely not the right time.

"Cassie," I say quietly after a moment of silence, "Thank you."

"For what?" she snorts, clearly deciding to ignore what I'd said a few seconds ago.

"For defending me, obviously," I say, starting to feel uncomfortable. "I mean, you didn't have to, but you did anyway, and-"

"Draco, it's okay," she interrupts, giving me a small smile. I try to ignore how light-headed I feel as she uses my first name. "You're welcome."

I let out a breath of relief; I don't thank people often at all. Cassie runs a hand through her hair, tucking it behind her ear. I avoid her watchful gaze in the short silence that follows, not sure if I'll be able to resist myself. Cassie breaks the silent moment by saying quietly, so quietly that I have to lean closer, "Why did you kiss me?"

My shoelaces have suddenly become very interesting, and I study them while I frantically try to think up an excuse. I stammer quickly, "Because – because…" _Damnit, think of something! _"Um, well…I dunno," I finish lamely, allowing myself a peek at her face. She's watching me carefully, but I feel relieved as I see she's trying to hold back laughter.

"Nice excuse," she smirks.

I'm trying to figure out what that means when I have a sudden thought. I finally look her in the eye as I ask suspiciously, "Well, why did you kiss me back?"

I see her falter, unsure of how to respond. It's my turn to smirk as I say, "See? You don't know either."

"I'm asking the questions!" she splutters, flustered.

I shake my head with a small grin, then turn to walk past her. I know I have to get to the Room of Requirement, and this conversation is making me really uncomfortable. "If you don't mind, I've got places to be."

"Wait," Cassie says, reaching out and grabbing my arm before I can get past her. I turn back to look at her, and I can see the seriousness in her eyes as she says softly, "I didn't mind it, you know."

I blink slowly, knowing I should turn her away now before I say anything I'll regret. I know I can't let myself get in too deep, but I can't stop myself from replying, "I didn't mind it, either."

Cassie's hand is still on my arm, and I allow her to pull me gently forward. I reach up and brush my hand against her cheek, feeling how warm she is. Her eyes slowly shut as she leans her head closer to mine, and our lips finally meet.

I can feel her running her hands over my back, but it's barely noticeable as I push her gently against the wall beside us. This time, she doesn't pull away when my tongue enters her mouth. My mind goes completely blank as we kiss, and I know there's nothing to regret about this.

Next chapter, someone dies D: review please?


	14. Chapter 14

Cassie P.O.V.

I'm giggling. Like, giggling so hard I can't even breathe. "Draco," I gasp, trying to push his hands away from my stomach, which he's been tickling relentlessly for the past five minutes. I roll away from him, laughing and clutching my stomach, until he finally gives up.

"I never knew you were ticklish," Draco smirks, propping himself up on one elbow and blinking against the sun reflecting off the shimmering lake. "You should have told me sooner."

I roll my eyes at him, then flip onto my back and moan, "It's only March, why is it so hot?"

"Go swimming," he says, gently brushing pine needles out of my hair.

I sit up and look down at him with a grin on my face. Jumping up, I say, "Yeah, let's go swim!"

"Uh, I was kidding," he stammers as I pull off my shirt, leaving just a camisole on and shorts. It's Friday afternoon, so we've both changed out of our robes.

I turn back and see Draco sitting up and staring at me. "Well, come on, I know you want to."

I see him trying to decide, but he must make up his mind because he stands and tugs off his shirt, revealing hardened muscles. I force myself to look away, blushing furiously.  
>Draco leaves his jeans on, which is probably a good thing for me. I turn away and run into the water. It splashes up against my legs, and I gasp out, "It's cold!" I can hear him laughing, but it stills sounds strange to me. It isn't often that Draco laughs.<p>

I'm so busy standing still and shivering that I don't realize Draco's jumped in beside me. I barely have time to shout, "No, don't!", before he wraps his arms around my stomach and pulls me under with him.

We both emerge, me spluttering. I glare up at his smirking expression and snap playfully, "I hate you."

"I don't think so," he replies, and I see him notice my uncontrollable shivers. Draco pulls me close against him, and I wrap my arms around him, feeling his bare skin.

The sun beats down on both of us, and we stay enveloped in each other. Draco rubs small circles on my back with so much gentleness, and I suddenly don't feel so cold anymore.

If anyone asks what the deal is with me and Draco, I'm not sure what the answer will be. All I know is that I like him, and he likes me. That's all there is to it. Apparently, this isn't enough for Katherine.

"What's going on with you and Malfoy?" she demands suddenly one morning as we both shovel down fried eggs for breakfast. I look up from my plate to see her watching me curiously. "There's something up between you two."

Nervous, I shakily reply, "I dunno what you mean." I still haven't told anyone about Draco and I, even though we've been meeting in the Room of Requirement for months now. And this past week, we haven't exactly been studying in there…at all.

"You know exactly what I mean," Katherine says, poking her fork through a small sausage.

I bite my lip, wanting so badly to tell her. I have to let someone know soon, or I'll explode. "Look," I say slowly. "If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else."

We both know she'll take any secret I tell her to the grave, but she nods vigorously anyway. I lean closer and whisper over the chatter, "We kissed."

Katherine leans away quickly and stares at me in shock. "Are you serious right now? How long ago was this? And why didn't you tell me before?"

I furrow my eyebrows in concentration at all her questions, then reply, "Um, yes I'm serious. The first time was like…a week ago. And, well, I didn't want you to freak out."

"Okay, first of all, you know I wouldn't have freaked out. And second, what do you mean the first time?" Katherine continues, staring at me incredulously. "How many times has it happened?"  
>I bite my lip to think back, then say, "Erm…a lot. Listen, I didn't think you would understand, that's why I didn't say anything."<p>

"Of course I understand," she says simply, picking up her fork, which she'd dropped in her excitement. "If you like him a lot, then it's no big deal."

"Oh my god," I breathe, relieved that Katherine isn't angry. "You have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you."

Katherine smirks. "Well, you're lucky I forced it out of you. Anyway, when does the match start?" she adds.

"In like twenty minutes. We should go," I say, putting down my fork and standing. Ravenclaw has a Quidditch match against Slytherin today, and Katherine and I want to watch.

As we head down to the stadium, I try to keep myself from looking for Malfoy. I know he won't actually go to a Quidditch match, yet I can't help but be hopeful.

We find a seat next to Luna and a lot of other Ravenclaws with some difficulty, which makes me realize just how huge this game is for us. If we win, our house will pull ahead of Gryffindor into second.

"Here they come!" Katherine says excitedly, and we all gaze down the stand to see the Ravenclaw team stream out onto the field, clutching their broomsticks. All of us cheer loudly as our team members mount their brooms and kick off to face the Slytherin team.

I hear Madam Hooch's voice shouting over the noise of the crowd, magically magnified. "Now, I want a clean game, from all of you." Then there's the loud screech of the whistle as the Quaffle is thrown into the air, and the match begins.

I squint hard, trying to follow the tiny blurs as the zoom around the field. I finally spot Matt sweeping back and forth in front of the Ravenclaw goalposts, and I feel the familiar twang of guilt at the sight of him. I push it away as the Ravenclaws let out a roar of applause and cheers when one of our Chasers scores.

I'm trying hard to spot Cho, the Ravenclaw seeker, when it starts to rain. It starts off as a barely noticeable sprinkle, but soon transforms into a raging downpour. Thinking about how much nicer it had been yesterday, Katherine and I frantically pull up the hoods on our cloaks, though it makes little difference. I start to shiver violently from the cold, and suddenly find myself wishing I was back in the Room of Requirement with Draco. This thought is pushed away, however, when our team scores once more.

"Find that Snitch, Cho!" Katherine screams, and the rest of us turn it into some sort of chant, shouting over and over again, "Find that Snitch! Find that Snitch!"

I can see Cho now, circling high above the rest of the game, shielding her face from the relentless rain. The wind has started to pick up too, blowing the rain in sheets and knocking the players off-course.

"Find that Snitch, find that Snitch—"

I duck suddenly as an umbrella flies our way, and I have to pull Luna down beside me, as she'd been too busy watching the players to notice. We come back up giggling and wiping the hair out of our faces, but then I notice how pissed off Marcus Flint, the Slytherin captain, looks, and I don't feel like laughing anymore. It seems Matt just blocked a spectacular shot made for our hoops, as the Ravenclaws have started chanting his name instead. It looks like Flint had made the shot, and I don't miss the death glare he gives Matt. There's an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but I ignore as Ravenclaw scores again.

We're now ahead by thirty points, and Katherine has taken to whispering, "Come on, Cho", under her breath, as none of our voices can be heard over the raging wind and rain.

Suddenly, Cho dives toward the ground, so fast we can barely see her. Even Katherine stays quiet in awe as the entire crowd watches Cho speed toward the ground, obviously having spotted the Snitch. I'm so distracted by this that I don't see Flint grab one of the Beater's bats and swing hard at a speeding Bludger, sending it careening toward Matt.

There's a horrible splintering sound, and a terrified yell that not even the wind could muffle. I hear someone in the crowd screaming, and I turn to see what's going on.

It's Matt. I feel like my heart stops as I see the end of his broomstick has been broken off, and the broom is now spinning wildly out of control. I open my mouth to scream as I see Matt start to slip, but no sound comes out. His legs are starting to lose their grip, and I reach over and grasp Katherine's arm without realizing it.

I'm just thinking with horror that Matt is surely going to fall as his legs slide off completely, but he somehow catches the broom with one hand and manages to dangle beneath it. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding, but my chest is still tight.

"_Matt, hang on!" _Katherine screams, terrified. We're both hanging on to each other now, barely holding one another upright.

As Matt swings dangerously underneath the swirling broom, Luna says dreamily, "Oh look, Cho's got the Snitch."

No one is paying any attention to the rest of the game anymore, and a couple of Ravenclaw players have started to speed toward Matt.

"He's going to fall!"

I feel my knees buckle as I see Matt's hand start to slide off the slippery broom. The players are flying desperately toward him, but they aren't going to make it. My fingernails dig into Katherine's robes as Matt loses his grip, and the screams echo around me as he plummets to the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

Cassie P.O.V.

There's a sickening thud as Matt's body hits the ground, and all I can see is a crumpled, broken heap in the sand.

Everyone is screaming. People push past me to get to the stairs, to run out onto the field and see if Matt is okay. It feels as though my hearing has gone out, and all I can hear is a high-pitched buzzing sound. I stare numbly at the stadium floor, tears making my vision blurry. I blink and they run down my face in droplets. Turning, I notice Katherine is sobbing hysterically, me being the only reason she's still standing.

I'm staring at her, tears running down my face silently, when I feel a small, warm hand slide into my own. I turn my head slowly and see that it's Luna, her face unusually pale. I can see her lips moving, but no sound is coming out. I blink, more tears spilling over, and think dully, _I wonder… what she's saying…_

Luna turns and pulls me along with her down the stairs, covering her face to ward off the rain. I barely notice the tiny droplets whipping at my face, and just let her lead Katherine and I down the steps.

As soon as my feet hit the field below, my hearing snaps instantly back to normal. I can hear someone crying loudly with wracking sobs, but it takes me a moment to realize it's me. I cover my mouth to try and stifle them, but they won't stop. I turn and see Katherine sinking to the ground, staring numbly at a spot a few feet away. I follow her line of vision, and when I see what's at the end of it, I suddenly feel like throwing up.

Matt's lying in the sand, surrounded by people, but I can still see the blood. Ignoring Luna's soft protests, I blindly stumble forward. I have to get to Matt; I have to tell him how sorry I am for everything that I've done.

I have to shove people out of my way to get to him. No one is paying any attention to me, and they're all just staring in shock at his crumpled form. Finally breaking through the crowd, I get my first full-blown look at Matt…and he doesn't look good.

One of his legs is twisted underneath his body, bent at an unnatural angle. Nausea makes me feel dizzy as I see a shiny, white bone jutting out of his left arm. My puffy eyes travel up to his face and see that his nose is certainly broken, surrounded by deep gashes. The rain makes it look like there's more blood than there really is, making the scene even more horrifying.

I don't realize I'm on the ground until I dully notice that the freezing mud is making my knees cold. I stare numbly at Matt, and he looks so still that I'm terrified he's dead.

But then he coughs violently and suddenly, blood spattering the grass. People in the crowd gasp with relief and whisper, then someone yells for Madam Pomfrey. Not hearing any of this, I grasp Matt's hand as if it's my only lifeline, still crying uncontrollably.

He can't seem to move his head, so he just looks up at me, squinting through the blood and rain. I lean closer to hear him as he chokes out almost inaudibly, "C—Cassie?"

I swallow back my sobs and whisper, "It's me, I'm here. Matt—I'm so sorry. For everything." I sniffle and continue, my voice breaking, "I'm so sorry, Matt, I never wanted any of this."

He looks so tiny, the way he's curled up on the ground with the rain plastering his hair to his face. Matt coughs again, red dripping down his chin as he replies weakly, "Cassie…calm down…"

"I can't calm down!" I cry, even more tears spilling over. "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

"Cassie," he whispers, his voice straining to be heard. "That whole thing before…with Malfoy…doesn't really seem that bad anymore…"

Wiping my nose, I stare down at him in confusion. "You…you forgive me?"

Matt blinks, so slowly, and replies, "Close enough."

I close my eyes and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. The tears have finally stopped, and I force out a weak smile. "Listen, Matt, you're going to be okay. Madam Pomfrey—"

"No…I'm not," Matt whispers. I look back over at him and see he's no longer looking at me, but staring blankly at the sky instead. He coughs again, even more blood presenting itself, but he never takes his eyes off the stormy clouds. "I'm…going to die…"

"Shut up!" I cry suddenly, leaning over him and grabbing his shoulders as gently as I can. The relief I felt before has completely vanished to be replaced with a cold fear. I lean even closer and shout in his face, sobbing, "You're not! You're not going to die, so just shut up!"

"It's okay, Cassie…" he breathes, completely ignoring my shouts. Matt looks up at the sky and smiles weakly through the cuts and bruises. "I think…I see…Mom…"

I don't have the strength to yell at him anymore, to make him believe he'll be alright. Because we both know he won't be. Pomfrey isn't going to get to him fast enough, and no one else is here to help Matt instead. My throat feels as though it's sealed off, but I manage to whisper hoarsely once more, "I'm so sorry."

"Cassie…" Matt says, so calmly it's almost unnatural. I squeeze his hand and lean closer as his eyes flick to me instead of the sky. "…tell…tell Malfoy…"

I bend over even more, biting my lip to hold back another tear-filled apology. I turn my head slightly so I can hear him better; the wind has picked up even more and his voice sounds like it's being swept away. Then I hear it, the words I will never forget, "Tell Malfoy…not to hurt you…"

I cover my mouth to smother the sob that attempts to rip its way out of my chest, the guilt making my heart want to explode. This is all too much. I lean back and turn to look into Matt's eyes, to apologize yet again even more sincerely than before. But I take one look at his face and know that he's gone.

I stare down at Matt's face, seeing the clouded over eyes but not wanting believe it. I start to squeeze his hand again, my voice constricting as I whisper, "Matt, come on…just get up—"

I feel someone's hand on my arm and it startles me; I'd forgotten others were here besides Matt and I. I look over my shoulder and see the wavy blonde hair of Luna, and the sight comforts me immensely. I turn slightly more towards her and choke out, "Luna, come help Matt. He's just passed out, that's all—"

"Cassie," Luna interrupts gently, her cheerful voice abnormally thick with emotion. "Cassie, he's gone. There's nothing any of can do."

I stare up at her, rain mixing with the tears on my face. Slowly, I look around at the people surrounding Matt and I, seeing their own tear-stained faces. I suddenly feel like all these people are closing in on me, suffocating me.

I get up so fast off the ground that I stumble and almost fall. Catching myself just in time, I push past Luna and fight my way out of the crowd of people. I have to get away from Matt, I can't look at him without wanting to die too. I shove a sobbing, soaked girl out of my way, but it's not until I'm out of the stadium do I realize it was Cho. Not even stopping to glance back, I continue to stumble as fast as I possibly can through all these tears back up to the castle.

I'm not quite sure how I make it, but the next thing I know, I'm inside the castle. Barely noticing that my throat is on fire from sobbing so much, I half run, half trip down the corridors. All I know is that I have to find Draco…I have to be with someone who cares about me, no matter how guilty it makes me feel.

I know he'll be in the Room of Requirement. But with the state I'm in, actually finding it might be difficult.

But I do, only because my legs give out on me, and I collapse to stone floor crying. I look up, wiping at my eyes desperately, and my blurry eyes somehow make out the door as it materializes out of the wall.

I don't even stop to think why it opened without me pacing in front of it; I just push myself to my feet and stumble closer to the door. I reach out and yank on the handle with trembling fingers, but it won't open. Starting to cry harder, I abandon the handle and pound on the door, sobbing, "Draco!", over and over.

The second time I scream his name, the door opens, immedietley knocking me to the ground. I barely hold my head of the floor by weakly propping my elbow underneath me, and turn my gaze upward.

"God, Cassie—" Draco says, quickly dropping beside me and attempting to help me up. He instantly notices my red, puffy eyes and the tear tracks running down my face. Helping me into a sitting position, Draco looks deep into my watery eyes and asks seriously, "What's wrong?"

I open my mouth to answer, but my voice just comes out scratchy and even I can't understand it. I bite my lip to keep from sobbing again as I force out, "It—it's Matt…Matt's—dead."

The tears have made it impossible for me to see Draco's face clearly, so I stare at the floor as he processes my words, my chest heaving with silent sobs. I hear him say quietly, "Why?"

I shake my head and cry, "The—Quidditch game! I don't know what happened—he just fell! Draco," I whisper, clutching at his shoulders. "He died…in my arms…"

I can't form anymore words after this. The sobs come back, even stronger than before; it feels as though my ribcage is about to break open with each wracking cry.

I scarcely notice Draco sit beside me, his back against the wall. His arms are nothing but sweet relief, however, when he pulls me close against his chest. I let myself fold into him, as though the two of us are pieces in a simple puzzle. My tears soak through his white shirt, and I guiltily force out, "I—I'm sorry—"

"Cassie," Draco interrupts soothingly. "Just let it out."

So I do. I clutch at his jacket and scream into his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, even worse than before. Draco just holds me tighter, his arms being the only thing holding me in one piece. My eyes are shut tight as my screams echo around the empty hallway.

Even though Draco is here with me, holding me together, I can't help but feel that the world is crashing down around me.


	16. Chapter 16

Cassie P.O.V.

I'm crying again. _I've been crying this whole week, _I think dully, wiping at my cheeks. You'd think it would have gotten old by now.

I suppose I have good reason to be crying today; I'm at Matt's funeral. I'd promised myself this morning that I wouldn't cry, that I would stay strong for Katherine and Cho. But as I watch the casket being lowered slowly into the earth, I don't see how I could have expected _not _to cry.

I can hear someone sobbing loudly in the crowd of darkly-dressed people, and it painfully reminds me of the Quidditch match. That stupid, pointless Quidditch match…

Dumbledore said a few things at the beginning of the funeral, but I wasn't paying attention. It's not like anything matters anyway; nothing can change what happened.

Katherine is shaking beside me, so I reach over and give her hand a squeeze. I know she's not doing good, even worse than Cho and I. As we watch the teachers flick their wands solemnly at the pile of dirt to fill the grave, I can't help but feel like I should be doing something more for Katherine. These past few days, she's done nothing but sit in our common room and stare blankly out the window. At night, when I'll desperately try and get some sleep, I can hear Katherine crying.

The sun is much too cheerful today. _It should be raining, _I think, more tears spilling over as the professors finish with Matt's grave. It feels like nothing should be happy today.

Almost the entire student body is here. A few Slytherins didn't want to go, but I don't blame Draco. We both know it's better if he stays away from the funeral.

People are starting to turn away from the freshly dug grave when Katherine loses whatever control she had earlier. She breaks into loud, wracking sobs, and several people turn their heads to look sympathetically at her. Gently, I take her shoulder and lead her away from the crowd, Cho taking her other hand. We stop under the shade of the nearest oak tree.

I rub Katherine's back as she cries into my robes, Cho clutching at Katherine's left hand. None of us say anything as she sobs endlessly into my shoulder.

Eventually, she calms down enough to just sniffle and hiccup occasionally, so I pull away from her and brush the hair out of her eyes. I look seriously down at her through my own tears and ask, "Are you okay?"

Katherine gives a dark, small laugh as she replies coldly, "What do you think?"

If this had been any other time, I would have snapped back at her. But instead, I stay quiet as Cho says softly, "Cassie's just trying to help."

Katherine runs her eyes furiously and responds guiltily, "I know, I just…I can't believe he's gone."

Biting my lip, I envelop her in a tight hug and whisper, "Me neither, Katie. But it's gonna be okay."

We stay like that under the tree, just the three of us, silent and taking comfort from just being with each other. I close my eyes, more tears running down my dampened cheeks, and repeat to myself silently, _It's gonna be okay, it's gonna be okay…_

Draco P.O.V.

I'm sitting before the cold and empty fireplace, rubbing my face with exhaustion, when Marcus Flint bursts in with a few other Slytherins and changes everything.

I only look up because he surprises me; I thought everyone was down at the funeral. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as Flint plops beside me onto the couch.

"Well, mate," he smirks at me, then glances back at the other two Slytherins with a grin on his face. Turning back to me, he continues, "Today is a good day."

I lean forward to rest my elbows on my knees, wanting to be as far away from Flint as I can. "Good for you."

"You don't understand," Flint says, and his friends laugh. "You don't know why this is such a good day."

"Enlighten me," I respond dryly, not really caring in the slightest.

Flint leans back on the couch and locks his fingers behind his head in a laid-back manner. Smirking again, he says, "It's a good day because I didn't get expelled."

I can tell he's waiting for me to ask, so I reply reluctantly, "What did you do this time?"

"You'll never guess," Flint grins. When I don't attempt any sort of guess, he continues proudly, "I'm the one who knocked that Ravenclaw keeper off his broom."

I hear him saying the words, but my brain won't process them. Flint takes my shocked silence for one of awe, as he chuckles, "Yeah, it was all me. Thought Hooch would have seen me hit that Bludger at him, but guess I was lucky."

Grinding my teeth, I stare at him coldly. Flint picks up on this, and looks at me in confusion. "What's your problem, mate? No one's gonna miss him. He was a Mudblood, he deserved—"

There's a loud pop that seems to vibrate through the air as my fist connects with his jaw. Flint flies over the arm of the couch, hitting the floor in front of his friends with a hard smack.

I feel so blind, blind with rage, as I kick the tiny coffee table over and jump on top of Flint. Holding him down, I give him another good punch in the nose and hiss in his face, "Fuck you, Flint. Fuck. You."

He clutches at his bleeding, broken nose and stammers in fear, "Why—why do you care about some—"

"Because someone I love a lot really cared about him," I snap coldly. "And she's really messed up now that he's gone, and it's your fault."

Flint's two friends suddenly realize they should be helping him up, so they leap forward, yanking me off him roughly. Flint wipes at his nose and slides away from me, then somehow manages to get to his feet. He smirks through the blood, saying, "Got yourself a girlfriend, Malfoy?"

I try to leap on him again, to punch him senseless, but his stupid friends won't let go of my arms. I hiss with frustration, "Shut the fuck up. I wouldn't be talking if I were you, Flint. You're so dumb, you had to stay back a year; what kind of woman would want _that_?"

Flint glares at me, then rushes forward and knees me in the stomach. The breath leaves my chest completely, and I fall to the floor, clutching at my stomach. I barely refrain from yelling out in pain, but I'm glad I manage to stay quiet. I don't want to give Flint the satisfaction.

"You're a faggot, Malfoy," Flint scoffs quietly, and his friends laugh. He gives me one last painful kick in the stomach before he and the other two exit the common room.

I squeeze my eyes shut and groan quietly, clutching my stomach. I'm lying there, mulling over what I'd just done, when I realize I had admitted out loud that I loved Cassie. And I find that I don't regret it at all.


	17. Chapter 17

Cassie P.O.V.

It's been two weeks since Matt's death. The atmosphere has changed at Hogwarts; when he died, the hallways were completely silent as people moved from class to class. Sometimes, someone would laugh in the quiet hallway, but would instantly stop. But now, things have almost gone back to the way they were before he died. Almost.

Katherine can still be heard crying at night, but it doesn't happen as often and she's been quieter about it lately. The three of us have started laughing again, which is almost a blessing. Last week, we were crying together and not speaking at all, but thankfully, it's gotten better.

Draco and I meet each other in the Room of Requirement almost every night now, except now all we do is lie together on the couch and talk endlessly. Without Draco, I know for certain that I would be having a much harder time getting over Matt's death. He's really been gentle with helping me through it.

Now, we're both curled against each other beside the fireplace at three in the morning. I couldn't sleep at all, so I snuck out of my dormitory to meet him. I snuggle closer to Draco, and he rubs small circles on my back, reminding me of that day in the lake that seems a lifetime ago.

My eyes are just starting to drift shut when Draco breaks the comfortable silence by whispering, "I have to tell you something…and you're going to hate me for it, but I have to tell you."

I raise my head up sleepily and look into his eyes with confusion. He looks so serious, and he refuses to meet my gaze. I entwine my fingers in his as I reply quietly, "I won't hate you."

"Yes, you will," Draco murmurs, the flickering flames illuminating his face. His voice breaks as he continues, "Cassie, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" I ask, sitting up and tucking my feet underneath me. His tone of voice is scaring me.

Draco takes a deep breath and focuses his eyes on the floor as he whispers almost silently, "For telling you that I'm a…I'm…a Death Eater."

I don't say anything. At first, I think he's joking, and I almost start laughing. But he looks so serious, so terrifyingly serious, that I know he can't be joking. I stare at him, keeping my face expressionless as I try to think of what to say to this. The silence feels as though it's suffocating me, so I desperately try to fill it by saying quietly, "Draco…"

"You have to—" He swallows hard and lets go of my hand, resting his elbows on his knees. "You have to know that I didn't want it. I never wanted any of it, Cassie, you have to understand that."

My chest feels like it's caving in on itself as I whisper, "Then…why?"

"My father," he replies coldly, and all I can hear is the hate in his voice. "It was my father."

I don't know what to say. My stomach is churning, but my eyes never blink to look away from him. All I can think is, _Matt knew, he knew, and you didn't listen to him. _Draco runs his fingers through his blonde hair and mutters, "Look, I had to tell you because I couldn't stand the guilt anymore. You had to know."

"Draco…" I start again, but he cuts me off.

"I won't blame you if you never talk to me again. The only reason I waited so long to tell you was because…well, I didn't want to lose you. But if you want to leave, I won't—"

"Draco," I interrupt. He still won't look at me, so I murmur quietly, "I'm not going to leave you."

This actually makes him look up at me. I can see the hope in his eyes, however small, as he says, "You…you don't hate me?"

"I feel like…I should," I whisper. "But I don't."

Draco's just as surprised as I am. He doesn't say anything as I reach for his hand again, and I look deep into his eyes. I force myself to push Matt and the crushing guilt out of my mind, saying, "I think I…like you even more for it…just because you don't want it."

"Cassie…that's not it." Draco's looking guilty again, and he looks away from me into the fire. "He…he gave me a task, and if I don't do it…he'll kill me."

I rest my head on his shoulder and pull myself close to him. Just the thought of losing Draco causes my eyes to water. I squeeze his hand as I reply quietly, "What is it?"

"You won't like it," he sighs tiredly, and he sounds so much older.

"Draco, it doesn't matter," I murmur, staring into the flames as well. "You can tell me."

"I have to…" He sounds so scared as he chokes out finally, "I have to…kill Dumbledore…."

There's nothing but the crackle of the fire as I try to think of what to say to that. What _do _you say to something like that? I try to imagine Dumbledore, someone who'd been headmaster since my first year at Hogwarts, just…gone. I want to tell Draco that he doesn't have to, that he can just get out of it somehow. But I know, deep down, there's no way. I clutch his arm tighter and whisper, "When?"

"…soon," he says quietly. "This month, probably…I've been putting it off for way too long."

"Will you get hurt?"

This is what makes him turn to me, and I look into his grey eyes. Draco replies almost soundlessly, "I don't know."

This is in no way reassuring, but I try to push away the worry that's already bloomed in my stomach. "Well," I say, my voice shaking slightly. "You'd better not, because I don't know what I'd do without you."

Draco stares down at me, and he seems like he's attempting to hide a hopeful expression as he murmurs, "Are you…are you sure? Cassie, you don't have to…"

"I'm proud of you," I interrupt gently, rubbing my thumb on the back of his hand. I blush slightly as I continue, "You're really…brave."

This finally makes him smile. He leans closer, tucking my hair to the side and whispering in my ear, "I thought you would leave me…"

I reach up and put my other hand on the back of his neck and pull him gently down with me, lying on the couch with Draco on top of me. Our cheeks brush as I murmur, "I could never leave you."

His lips find mine, and I allow my hands to wander down his back and reach underneath his shirt, feeling his bare skin. Draco pulls away to kiss gently down my neck, and I press myself against him. I open my eyes to look into the fireplace, and think silently to myself, _Matt…I'm so sorry, but…it's time for me to let go…_

The flames flicker just as brightly as before, and Draco pulls my attention back to him as he kisses my lips again. I close my eyes, and a few tears fall as I kiss him back. _Matt…I hope you can forgive me, but it's time for me to let go…_


	18. Chapter 18

Draco P.O.V.

My back hurts from bending over the cabinet for so long. I've been working for almost three hours, and the Room of Requirement suddenly feels like a sauna. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I sit back on my heels and stare at the Vanishing Cabinet.

It's finished.

My chest feels tight as I realize there's nothing more I can do. The cabinet is ready, and I can't avoid it any longer.

I'm not sure how long I sit there, staring at the cabinet and wishing it would break under my gaze, but I eventually pocket my wand. Getting to my feet, I reluctantly shut the cabinet door and step away.

As I continue to stare at it, I wonder desperately how I'm going to tell Cassie. I know I'll have to, but I don't want her to worry, because I know she will. It's been nearly three weeks since I told her about me being a Death Eater, and even though she won't say so out loud, I know she worries about me a lot.

I let out a heavy sigh and turn away from the cabinet, deciding I'll figure that out when the time comes. I leave the Room of Requirement and make my way through the empty hallways toward the lake. I skipped all my classes today, so everyone else is still in their last class.

It's rainy and a bit cloudy outside. I barely notice the occasional droplet hitting my face as I walk down to the lake, staring at the ground with my hands stuffed in my pockets.

I settle down at the base of a tree and wrap my cloak tighter around me as I watch the rippling waves in the lake. There's something so mesmerizing about it, something that makes me forget what's going to happen tomorrow. It makes me forget what I have to do.

I lose track of time, but I must sit there for a while because I eventually feel a warm hand on my shoulder. Disrupted from my thoughts, I turn angrily, but I see that it's Cassie and I instantly calm down.

"You skipped Charms and Potions," she says, sitting down beside me. I put my arm around her, pulling her closer to me, and I feel her smile as she continues, "It was awful without you, I hope you know that."

"How was sitting with Blaise and Goyle in Potions?" I smirk, as Cassie entwines her fingers with mine.

She rolls her eyes, and for a moment, I forget what I have to tell her. Her eyes are so green, they remind me of emeralds, and I have a sudden urge to tell her how beautiful she is. But I can't do that now.

"Terrible," Cassie moans. "Blaise pretended not to hear me when I asked him to pass the Hippogriff feathers."

"I'm not sure you'd want him to pass them to you," I say, and we both laugh, reminded of the exploding powder he'd given Cassie months ago.

We both sit in a comfortable silence, and I don't want to break it by telling her. I'm having an internal battle with myself when Cassie lifts her head up and looks me in the eyes. "What's wrong?" she asks seriously.

I thought I could hide my emotions better than that…

I take a deep breath and say as quietly as I can, "It'll happen tomorrow."

Cassie bites her lip and looks away from me. Just the sad expression on her face makes me want to take it back. It wasn't like I had to tell her; she's just going to worry about it now. I squeeze her hand tightly and whisper, "Cassie…"

"Where will you go after?" Her voice sounds so small and innocent, making me feel guilty.

"I'll leave straight after…and I won't come back for the rest of this year," I reply quietly, wishing I hadn't told her at all. My voice shakes a bit as I continue, "Cassie, I—I won't see you until the start of our seventh year."

Cassie's eyes snap up to meet mine. They look so sad as she says, "But that's almost four months."

I don't say anything to this. Rubbing my thumb on the back of her hand, I look away towards the lake.

"Draco, look at me." I turn my head back to her reluctantly, not wanting to see her pained expression. Cassie seems so defiant as she protests, "You are not leaving alone for four months."

"Cassie, I don't have a choice," I say, avoiding her gaze. "I'll be back here the first day of term, I swear—"

"You can't leave me for four months."

"Don't say it like that," I beg. "It makes it sound like I'm breaking up with you, and I'm not."

After a moment, Cassie says quietly, "I know. I just…won't know what to do without you."

I finally allow myself to look at her, and my stomach turns over as I realize she's crying. "Please, don't cry," I whisper, pulling her close to me and resting my chin on the top of her head. "We'll both be okay. And the summer isn't that long, so…" I stop, because we both know I'm not fooling anyone. This summer will feel like a lifetime apart from each other.

"Draco?" she says, sniffling quietly as though she's trying to hide it. "Be careful tomorrow."

I pull her even closer to me and say, "You have to stay in your dormitory tomorrow night. Promise me."

"No, I'll want to say goodbye to you…"

"We can say goodbye before. You have to promise me you won't leave your common room tomorrow night."

Cassie sighs, and I can tell she's tired from this. "Okay. I'll stay in my dormitory."

I kiss her forehead gently and whisper, "Thank you."

Neither of us says anything for a long time after that. We just lie together under the tree and watch the setting sun reflect off the lake. Both of us hold desperately onto one another, because we know this is the last night we'll be together for a long time.


	19. Chapter 19

Cassie P.O.V.

Draco and I skip our last two classes the next day. He wanted to skip all of them, but I insisted on just the last two. I didn't want to make our goodbye any harder than it had to be.

I meet him down by the lake again, because neither of us wants to be in the Room of Requirement. We don't say anything as I curl against him like we did yesterday, and I refuse to let go of his hand. The castle grounds are completely silent, and the sun shines brightly on the lake.

After a while of just lying quietly together, I sit up and look Draco in the eyes, saying seriously, "Let's swim."

Despite everything, despite what is going to happen in a few hours, Draco smirks. "Cassie, you're crazy."

"Fine," I huff, then reach down and tug off my shoes. "We'll just stick our feet in."

"I don't want to," Draco sighs, as a kid would when they don't want to do something.

I frown at him, then reach my arm over and start untying his laces. I pull off one of his shoes and say, "Well, too bad. You need to relax, Draco."

He opens his mouth to argue, and I don't blame him. Relaxing is probably the last thing on his mind. But Draco must think better of it, because he shuts his mouth and leans forward to pull his other shoe off.

I stand up and pull him along with me as I walk the few steps to the lake. I step into the water, and I shiver as the cold mud squishes up between my toes. Draco stands beside me, and I hear him take a breath as the water laps onto his feet. "It's still cold," he murmurs, almost as though he's talking to himself.

This makes me remember that day we went swimming together, which seems so long ago. That was when I thought everything was simple, when I didn't have to worry or be sad every day. When Matt was still alive, and Draco was just...Draco.

I feel my eyes well up with tears, but I refuse to let them fall. I am not going to cry. I tilt my head back, pretending to look at the sky, so the water will somehow drain back in. It works, crazily enough, and I turn to look at Draco.

He's watching me, and I know that he saw. Neither of us look away from each other for the longest time, as though we're afraid to even blink. Then Draco squeezes my hand, and whispers gently, "I love you."

My heart stops. Even though Draco and I are pretty much dating, I never thought he was the type of guy to just say that out loud. For a second, I'm not sure what to say; repeating it back might make our goodbye even harder than it already will be. But I get lost in the grey of his eyes, and I suddenly don't have to think anymore. "I...love you too."

He slowly reaches up and brushes my hair to the side. I hear him whisper quietly, "You're so beautiful." And then we lean into each other, our lips connecting simultaneously.

I can't count the number of times Draco and I have kissed, but I'm certain this time is the best and most passionate. Maybe it's because we are both scared out of our minds, or because we'll be separated from each other for so long. But the way Draco kisses me today is so wonderful, and I clutch at him as though I'm afraid he'll get blown away by the wind.

Draco pulls me down with him so he's laying with his back against the leaves, and me on top of him. I open my mouth to let his tongue in, and I feel him gently bite my bottom lip. This makes me smile, until Draco's hands wander under my shirt, and any sort of concentration becomes impossible.

His hands just grasp at my skin, and he doesn't go any farther. Frustrated, I break away from the kiss and breathe quietly, "It's okay, Draco."

I look deep into his eyes, and he whispers with worry in his voice, "Are you sure? I don't have to-"

I interrupt him by kissing him again, and pulling my shirt up to my collarbone at the same time. Draco's hands stay on my back for a moment longer, then he gives in and brings them to the front of my bra.

Tilting my head back, Draco kisses all the way down my neck, being completely gentle. He looks back up to me, and we kiss one last time before I roll off him.

I pull my shirt down and lay on my back next to him, both of us breathing heavily. Draco puts his arm gently under my head, and I curl into him.

We lay there together, in a position that we both knew so well, until Draco quietly whispers, "I should go..."

I squeeze my eyes shut for a second so I won't cry. I blink a few times, then reply, "I know."

He sits up after another minute, then stops and looks down at me. Without a word, he brushes my hair to the side, rubbing his thumb against my cheek. Then he gets up reluctantly and reaches down to put his shoes on.

I get up too, brushing pine needles off my back. I stuff my feet back into my sneakers, not bothering to tie the laces. I look up from my shoes and see Draco watching me a few feet away. My eyes well up with tears as soon as I realize how terrified he looks.

Draco steps closer to me and wraps his arms around me. I sniffle into his chest, and my voice breaks as I say, "Please, please be careful."

"I will," Draco says, his voice thick with emotion. He pulls away from me and stares deep into my eyes. "Cassie...you should go to your common room now. I...I want to be alone for a bit."

I nod, biting my lip to keep from screaming for him to stay with me. I lean closer and kiss him softly on the lips, lingering for as long as I can. "I love you."

Draco squeezes my shoulders, and doesn't break my gaze. "Cassie, you have no idea how much I love you." I sniffle quietly, and a few tears run down my face. Then Draco whispers, "Go." and pushes me gently away from him.

I clutch a hand over my mouth to cover a sob as Draco turns away from me, his shoulders shaking.

I know I have to go, but it takes all my willpower to turn away and get my legs moving. I start back up to the castle slowly, my heart breaking and knowing I've never felt so alone in all my life.

I'm sitting on my bed as the sun goes down, crying, when Katherine finds me. I look up through my tears, and Katherine rushes towards me.

"What's wrong?" she asks calmly, sitting beside me and brushing the hair out of my eyes.

I shake my head wordlessly; I know I can't tell her anything. I'm opening my mouth to make up some excuse when a red light shines through the window, making me stop and sit up straighter. What was that?

The light hasn't gone away, so I stand up and walk closer to the window. When I finally realize what it is, my heart stops in fear.

Hagrid's hut is completely smothered in flames. I watch in horror as one of the windows explode, sending another plume of smoke into the air. My breath catches in my throat as I see there are figures standing by the hut.

Draco.

I ignore Katherine's exclamation of, "Cassie, what is going on?" as I whip past her to get to the stairs. I hurtle down the steps, my tears completely forgotten. What if Draco is inside the hut?

I push a third year out of the exit to the common room in my rush to get out. I hear him yelling insults at my back, but my brain doesn't register what he says.

After sprinting through so many hallways, I can finally see the exit to the school grounds. Unfortunately, Flitwick is standing right next to the door. I ignore all thoughts of possible punishment and keep running.

"Miss Jackson, what-" Flitwick sputters as I dash past him and throw open the huge doors.

It's so dark out, and all I can see is the raging fire. My robes whip behind me as I run as fast as my legs will allow. I am close enough to see the figures now, but my stomach dips as I realize they're moving towards the Forbidden Forest.

My chest heaves with sobs as I cry, "Draco!" It seems my voice is lost to the wind, however, because none of the figures stop. Except one, one person turns to look at me.

It's Draco. I know instantly, even though only half his face is lit by the glowing fire. He looks at me with so much fear, then mouths, 'I love you.'

And then he disappears into the forest. I collapse onto the wet grass, crying hysterically. I curl into myself, sobbing uncontrollably and wishing that I could rewind the past, and stay forever with Draco beside the lake.


End file.
